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'^^Bra?S^
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THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT
OR
THE SOURCES OF THE NILE
AROUND THE GREAT LAKES OF EQUATORIAL AFRICA
AND DOWN THE LIVINGSTONE RIVER
TO THE ATLANTIC OCEAN
HENRY M.^STANLEY
AUTHOR OF "COOMASSIE AND MAGDALa" ETC.
WITH TEN MAPS AND ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY WOODCUTS
IN TWO VOLUMES
Vol. II
NEW YORK
HARPER & BROTHERS, PUBLISHERS
FRANKLIN SQUARE
1878
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Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1878, by
HARPER & BROTHERS,
In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, nt Washington.
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CONTENTS.
(Fo7. II.)
CHAPTER L
PAGE
Ujiji, its scenery, residents, market, and vicinity — Arab rivals —
The circumnavigation of the Tanganika — Commander Cameron
and the outflowing Lukuga — The encroaching waters — The
legend of the lake — Evening 1
CHAPTER n.
The Lady Alice afloat again — Her mate and crew — Anxiety on her
behalf — On hallowed ground — Unwelcome visitors : in the
haunts of the Ruga-Ruga — The aborigines' last retreat — A
scene of blood — The robbers of the Lake, and their tutelary
spirits — A geological problem : were there once two lakes ? —
Rising waters — The abode of the genii — A storm — Forest
fires — At the mouth of Cameron's "outlet" — The Lukuga
creek 18
CHAPTER nL
Back in camp — An epidemic of small-pox — Panic of desertion —
Kalulu's disloyalty — Livingstone's lenience — Lnaginaiy
terrors — Hairdressing ad abaurlum — Ruanga's opinion of
white men — A village sketch — The villagers of tJhombo — Jn
puris naturulUms — A touch of human nature — On Livingstone's
traces — What is there in feathers ?— The Manyema : their life
and manners — Our ass astonishes the natives — Bloodless wars
— Nicknames — A tribe with beards but no wives — The con-
fluence of the Luama and the Livingstone 61
CHAPTER IV.
At a swinging pace — Tippu-Tib, the Arab trader — News of Cameron
and his difficulties— The river that flows North for ever — In
Dwarf-land, fighting the dwarfs — Tippu-Tib's conditions —
Friends in council — Heads or tails — Kalulu*s accident at
Nyangw6 — Its residents and market — A muster of the Expe-
dition . 94
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iv CONTENTS.
CHAPTEB V.
PACB
Tippu-Tib's henchmen — In the primeval forest, a wilderness of trees
— Primitive furniture — Our sufferings in the pagans' forest —
Tippu-Tib breaks down — A village blacksmith — Soko skulls ;
the missing link — Professor Huxley's opinion thereon — The
Livingstone — A day dream — The road to the ocean — Timid
coimsels — " The Wasambye ! •» — " Ooh-hu ! ooh-hu I " — Suc-
cessful diplomacy ., .. 126
CHAPTER VL
" Mama, the Wasambye ! " — The fight in the Ruiki — The lost found
— Dangerous disobedience — In the nick of time — A savage
captive — Miisic hath charms — In the haunts of Nature — A
town of one street — Deserted villages — Organizing a hospital
— An island wasted by lightning — "The people of the filed
teeth " — Primitive salt-making — Hostages captured — At close
quarters — Raining arrows — " Bo-bo, bo-bo, bo-bo-o-o-oh ! " —
A desperate affair and opportune reinforcements — Cutting the
canoes adrift - Tippu-Tib deserts me —My appeal to the " sea
children " — Christmas Day among tlie cannibals — " Victory or
death" 156
CHAPTER VII.
Farewell to Tippu-Tib — Attacked from both banks — The fat savage
makes a bad shot at me — In the home of the elephants — Insect
life — In covert — The Lowwa river — A storm on the river —
New Year's Day — Bullets against spears — " Sennenneh ! " —
Tempting the female mind — The reward of a good deed — A
river arraada : crocodile boats — Betwixt cataracts and cannibals 196
CHAPTER VIII.
Fighting betimes — Blazing a path — Wo take an island by storm —
A desjicrate dilemma — Road-making under fire — A miraculous
escape — A terrible march — Peace by stratagem — Below the
Fifth Cataract — O^ir cannibal captives — Fighting the Wana-
Rukura — The Wana-Rukura islanders — Approaching the
Seventh Cataract — A dci-crted island — The Seventh Cataract
of the Stanley Falls — The first of the cataracts — Clear of the
Stanley Falls 223
CHAPTER IX.
Again in open water — Frank Pocock feels the position — The
Mburra or Yarycnibi — A running fight — " Ya-Mariwa! Ya-
Mariwa I " — Our tactics of capture — Monster sjieai-s — Growing
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CONTENTS. V
FiLOI
weary of fighting for life — The power of laughter — Fish creeks
— A wasp swarm of canoes — Another invincible armada — A
village of ivory — Belies of cannibal feasts — The Well^ of
Schweinfurth — Hunted to despair — Their " meat " escapes the
cannibals — Wild nature — Among friendly natives — The Congo ! 256
CHAPTER X.
High art in tattooing — Suspicious friendliness — Friends or foes ? —
A treacherous attack — The fauna of the Livingstone — Among
the "Houyhynyma" — The " Yaha-ha-has " — Frank's courage
and narrow escape;— Our fight with the Bangala — The mirage
on the river — The great tributary of the Livingstone — Among
friends 284
CHAPTER XI.
Running the gauntlet — Kindly solitudes — Amina's death — The
humanizing effects of trade apparent — "The most plausible
rogrieof all Africa" — The king of Chumbiri; his hospitality,
wives, possessions, and cunning — Making up a language —
Pythons — The Ibari Nkutu or the Kwango — Treacherous
guides — The Stanley Pool — Chief Itsi of Ntamo— We have to
give up our big goat — River observations 309
CHAPTER XIL
The struggle with the river renewed — Passing the " Father " — In
the '* Cauldron " — Poor Kalulu ! — Soudi's strange adventures —
At the " Whirlpool Narrows " — Lady Alice Rapids — Our escape
from death — "Isles of Eden " — Thieves amongst us — The
Inkisi Falls — The canoes dragged over the mountain — Trade
along the livingstone — Ulcers and entozoa — An artful
compound 834
CHAPTER Xin.
Glorious timber — Cutting canoes — Frank suffers from ulcers —
The episode of the fotished axe — Rain-gange readings — The
rise of the river — " Groee-goees " — The Lady Alire breached for
the first time —A painful discovery: Uledi's theft — His trial
and release — The burning of Shakespeare — The bees of Mas-
sassa — Local superstitions — Frank's cheery character . . . . 364
CHAPTER XIV.
Leaving Mowa — The whirling pools of ^lowa — The Jason swept
over the falls — The " Little Master '* drowned — Too brave I —
" Ah, Uledi, had you but saved him!" — The sympathy of the
savages
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▼i CONTENTS.
CHAPTER XV.
PAGB
Mutiny in fhe camp — Again among the cataracts — Frank's body
found — The fall of the Edwin Arnold Eiver — Tired out!— -
Wholesale desertion — More cataracts — " Gkx)d-bye, my brother ;
nothing can save you I '* — Bushing blindly on — Saved again ! —
The ./(Mon found .. 409
CHAPTER XVI
Final warnings against theft — Humiliating a protectionist — Kindly
tribes — Five of the Expedition abandoned to slavery for theft
— Safeni goes mad from joy— Goaded to crime — Ali Kiboga's
adventures — The cataract of Isangila — Only five marches from
white feces 1 — Staxmch to the death — Bum — My appeal to
Embomma — The forlorn hope — The "powerful man" insults
us — Struggling on — " We are saved, thank (xod ! " — " Enough
now; fall to " — My letter of thanks — Approaching civilization
— Ajnongst whites ; Boma — The Atlantic Ocean 424
CONCLUSION.
Eabinda — San Paulo de Loanda — Simon's Bay — Cape Town—
Natal — 25anzibar — Joy of the returned — The martyrs to
geography — Beverie — Laus Deo ! 468
Appjndix 485
Index 552
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LIST OP ILLUSTRATIONS.
(Vol. IL)
FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS.
1. Portrait of the Author FrorUiqttMe,
2. Ujijl looking north from the Market-Place, viewed from the
roof of our temM at UjijL (^From a pTwiograph,) .. Tofao$ 1
8. The ** High Places'* of the spirit Mtombwa : View of Mtombwa,
Urungn n ^^
4. In Council: the Oonrtyard of our temb^ at Ujiji. (From a
pJu^ograpK) .. .. .. .. .. .. .. „ 62
5. A Village in Sonth-East Manyema „ 82
6. The desperate situation of Zaidi, and his rescue by Uledi, the
coxswain of the boat „ 233
7. The Fight below the confluence of the Aruwimi and the Living-
stone Rivers .. .. .. .. .. .. .. „ 272
8. The attack of the sixty-three canoes of the piratloal Bangala .. „ 800
9. View of the right branch, first oatnract, of the Livingstone Falls,
from fuur miles below Juemba Island .. .. .. .. „ 836
10. At work passing the lower end of the first cataract of the
Livingstone Falls, near Rocky Island „ 839
11. •'Lady Alice "over the Falls „ 846
12. Cutting out the new " Livingstone " canoe .. .. .. „ 869
13. Passing Ns^to Falls ^ 875
14. The Circumnavigators of the Victoria Nynnza and Lake Tan-
ganika, and Explorers of the Alexandra Nile and Livingstone
(Congo) River „ 382
15. The Massassa Falls, and the entrance intoPocock Basin, or
BoloboloPool n 897
16. Group of Mr. Stanley's followers at Kabinda, West Const of
Africa, just after crossing the " Dark Continent" {From a
photograph.) .. .. .. .. .. .. „ 468
17. The recuperated and re-clad Expedition as it appeared at
Admiralty House, Simon's Town, after our arrival on H.M.S.
•Industry' „ 474
1 a Women of the Expedition ,, 480
SMALLER ILLUSTRATIONS.
19. A Native of Rna, who was a Visitor at Ujiji 8
20. Kungw^ Peaks. (From a sketch.) .. 23
21. The extreme Southern Reach of Lake Tanganika 35
22. Mtombwa 37
23. Mount Murmnbi 43
24. Ubujw^ and Uguha Head-dress 52
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via LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
irO. FAOH
25. Ugnha headdress />2
26. A Woman of Uguha 53
27. Uhyeya Head-dress .'iS
28. The Spirit Island 57
29. BTsehazy Haven and Gamp, at the Alouth of M'sehazy River .. 64
80. Natives of Ubujwtf GJ
81. A Native of Uhyeya 70
82. One of the VVahyeya of Uhombo (back view) 71
88. A Youth of East Maiijema 81
84. A Manyema Adult 81
85. A Young Woman of Eiist Manyema 82
86. Kitet^ the Chief of Mpungu 91
87. Native Houses at Mtuyu 92
88. "^ Heads for the North and the Lnalaba: Tails for the Sonth and
Katanga" 113
89. A Canoe of the Wenya or Wagenya Fishermen •• .. .. .. II 0
40. Uregga House i:U
41. Stool of Ureg«:a 134
42. Spoons of Ungga • 134
48. Uregga Spear 135
44. Gine Settee 135
45. Bench 135
46. An African Fez of Leopard-skin .. .. .. .. .. .. I3i>
47. A Forge and Smithy at Wan^Kirumbu, Uregga 142
48. Backgammon Tray 145
49. War Hatchet of Ukusu loo
50. Stool of Ukusu IGO
51. View between the Ruiki and Nokanpemba IGl
52. Stewpot of the Wahika 1G8
58. A House in ikoadu .. •• .. .. ig9
54. Canoe Scoop 1S7
55. Scoops 187
66. "Towards the Unknown" lOG
57. War-drums of the Tribes of the Upper Livingstone .. .. .. lui)
58. Mwuna Ntabu Canoe (the ** Crocodile **) 2J0
59. A Baswa Knife .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 228
60. Style of Knives .. .. 228
61. Baswa Basket and Cover 228
62. Cavern, near Kaborabo Islands .. .. .. .. .. .. 242
G3. The Seventh Cataract. Stanley Falls 251
64. Pike, Stanley Fulls 252
65. Fish, Seventh Cataract, Stanley Falls 2.')3
G6. Fish, Stanley Falls 253
67. Palm-oil Jar and Palm- wine Cooler .. .. .. .. .. 25 i
68. Mouth of Drum 255
69. Wooden Signal Dmm of the Wenya or ^\*agen3 a and the Tribes on the
Livingstone .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 255
70. Druiusticks, Knobs being of India-rubber.. .. .. .. .. 2.55
71. Shields of Ituka People 2G1
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LIST OF ILLVSTBATIONS. ix
jro. PAGK
72. Monster Oanoe • 271
73. Paddle of the Aruwimi Cannibals 273
74. Knives, Bubunga 285
75. Double Iron Bells of Uiangi 289
76. The King of Chumbiri 316
77. Great Pip© of King of Chumbiri 317
78. One of the King's Wives at Chumbiri 319
79. Son of the King of Chumbiri 321
80. Over Bocky Point close to Gampa's 338
81. Death of Kalulu 341
82. The Nkenke River entering the Livingstone below the Lady Alice
Rapids 351
83. The new Canoes, the lAcingstone and the Stanley 371
84. View from the Table-land near Mowa .. .. .. .. .. 377
85. In Memoriam : Francis John Pocock 407
86. Fall of the Edwin Arnold River into the Pocock Basin 413
87. The Chief Carpenter carried over Zinga Fall 419
8S. CarapatKilolo 436
S9. Mbinda Cemetery 453
90. At Rest : My Quarters at Kabinda by the Sea. (From a photograph.) 468
91. Expedition at Kabinda. (From a photograph,) 469
MAPS.
1. Map of Western Half of Equatorial Africa.
2. Map of Lukuga Creek.
8. Chart of Stanley FfJls.
4. Chart of Livingstone Fails,
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Ujiji.
THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
CHAPTER I.
XJjiji, its scenery, residents, markets, and yidnity — Aral) riyals — The
drcnmnaTigation of the Tanganika — Commander Oameron and tiie
ontflowing Lnkuga — The encxoaohing waters — The legend <^ the
Lake — Eyening.
The best view of Ujiji is to be obtained from the flat ists.
roof of one of the Arab terab^s or houses. The annexed *^^.^*
photograph represents a view north from my tembd,
which fronted the market-plaice. It embraces the
square and conical huts of the Wangwana, Wanya-
mwezi, and Arab slaves, the Ouinea palms from the
golden-coloured nuts of which the Wajiji obtain the
palm-oil, the banana and plantain groves, with here
and there a graceful papaw-tree rising amongst them,
and, beyond, the dark green woods which line the
shore and are preserved for shade by the fishermen.
South of the market-place are the temb^s of the
Arabs, solid, spacious, flat-roofed structures, built of
clay, with broad, cool verandahs fronting the public
roads. Palms and papaws, pomegranates and plan-
tains, raise graceful branch and frond above them, in
pleasing contrast to the grey-brown walls, enclosures,
and houses.
The port of Uji ji is divided into two districts — Ugoy,
occupied by the Arabs, and KaweM, inhabited by the
Wangwana, slaves, and natives. The market-place is in
VOL. n. — 1
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June.
! THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT. -
1876. Ugoy, in an open space which has been lately contracted
to about 1200 square yards. In 1871 it was nearly
3000 square yards. On the beach before the market-
place are drawn up the huge Arab canoes, which, pur-
chased inGoma on the western shore,have had their gun-
wales raised up with heavy teak planking. The largest
canoe, belonging to Sheikh Abdullah bin Sulieman, is
48 feet long, 9 feet in the beam, and 5 feet high, with a
poop for the Nakhuda (captain), and a small forecastle.
Sheikh Abdullah, by assuming the air of an opulent
ship-owner, has offended the vanity of the governor,
Muini Kheri, who owns nine canoes. Abdullah
christened his " big ship " by some very proud name ;
the governor nicknamed it the Lazy. The Arabs and
Wajiji, by the way, all give names to their canoes.
The hum and bustle of the market-place, filled with
a miscellaneous concourse of representatives from many
tribes, woke me up at early dawn. Curious to see
the first market-place we had come to since leaving
Kagehyi, I dressed myself and saimtered amongst the
buyers and sellers and idlers.
Here we behold all the wealth of the Tanganika
shores. The Wajiji, who are sharp, clever traders,
having observed that the Wangwana purchased their
supplies of sweet potatoes, yams, sugar-cane, ground-
nuts, oil-nuts, palm-oil and palm-wine, butter, and
pombe, to retail them at enormous profits to their
countrymen, have raised their prices on some things
a hundred per cent, over what they were when
I was in Ujiji last. This has caused the Wangwana
and slaves to groan in spirit, for the Arabs are unable
to dole out to them rations in proportion to the
prices now demanded. The governor, supplied by the
Mutware of the lake district of Ujiji, will not interfere,
though frequently implored to do so, and, consequently,
there are frequent fights, when the Wangwana rush on
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A KATIVE OF RUA, WHO WAS A VISITOR AT UJIJI.
dressed goat-skin covering the loins, and hanging down
to within six inches above the knees, with long depend-
ing tags of the same material. All these tribes are
related to each other, and their language shows only
slight diflFerences in dialect. Moreover, many of those
inhabiting the countries contiguous to Unyamwezi
and Uganda have lost those special characteristics
which distinguish the pure unmixed stock from the
less favoured and less refined types of Africans.
Uhha daily sends to the market of Ujiji its mtama,
June.
Ujiji.
THE MARKET OF UJIJI. 3
the natives with clubs, in much the same manner i876
as the apprentices of London used to rush to the
rescue or succour of one of their bands.
Except the Wajiji, who have become rich in cloths,
the rural natives retain the primitive dress worn
by the Wazinja, Wazongora, Wanyambu, Wanya-
Ruanda, Kishakka, Wanyoro, and Wanya-Nkori, Wasui,
Watusi, Wahha, Warundi, and Wazige, namely, a
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4 THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1876. grain {millet), sesamum, beaas, fowls, goats, and broad-
^^^y tailed sheep, butter, and sometimes oxen ; Urundi, its
^ goats, sheep, oxen, butter, palm-oil and palm-nuts,
fowls, bananas, and plantains ; Uzig^ — now and then
only — ^its oxen and palm-oil; Uvira, its iron, in wire
of all sizes, bracelets, and anklets ; Ubwari, its cassava
or manioc, dried, and enormous quantities of grain,
Dogara or whitebaiit, and dried fish; Uvinza, its salt;
Uguha, its goats and sheep, and grain, especially Indian
corn ; rural Wajiji bring their buttermilk, ground-nuts,
sweet potatoes, tomatoes, bananas and plantains, yams,
beans, vetches, garden herbs, melons, cucumbers, sugar-
cane, palm-wine, palm-nuts, palm-oil, goats, sheep,
bullocks, eggs, fowls, and earthenware ; the lake-coast
Wajiji bring their slaves, whitebait, fresh fish, ivory,
baskets, nets, spears, bows and arrows ; the Wangwana
and Arab slaves bring slaves, fuel, ivory, wild fruit,
eggs, rice, sugar-cane, and honey from the Ukaranga
forest.
The currency employed consists of cloths, blue
"Kaniki," white sheeting "Merikani" from Massa-
chusetts* mills, striped or barred prints, or checks,
blue or red, from Manchester, Muscat, or Cutch, and
beads, principally ** Sofi," which are like black-and-white
clay-pipe stems broken into pieces half an inch long.
One piece is called a Masaro, and is the lowest piece of
currency that will purchase anything. The Sofi beads
are strung in strings of twenty Masaro, which is then
called a KhetSy and is sufficient to purchase rations for
two days for a slave, but suffices the freeman or
Mgwana but one day. The red beads, called Sami-sami,
the Mutanda, small blue, brown, and white, will also
readily be bartered in the market for provisions, but a
discount will be charged on them, as the established
and universal currency with all classes of natives
attending the market is the Sofi^
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THE WAJIJL 5
The prices at the market in 1876 were as follows : — i876.
June.
Sheetlnc clutha Ujiji.
of'4 yarn* UiQg. '' *
Ivory per lb. .. .. 1
Igoat 2
1 sheep •• »»«.•« •« l'^
12 fowls ^ li
1 bullock 10
1 potful — equal to 3 gallons — of wine 2*
1 „ „ « „ ©f palm oil .. ..4
60 lbs. of grain— Mtama ,, 1
90 lbs. „ Indian com 1
i-gal. potful of honey in the comb 1
1 slave boy between 10 and 13 years eld 16
1 „ girl „ „ „ „ „ .... 60 to 80
1 ^ „ „ 13 „ 18 „ .... 80 to 200
1 „ woman,, 18 „ 80 years old .. .. 80 to 130
If, „ „ 80 „ 50 „. ^ .. 10to40
1 „ boy „ 13 „ 18 ^ .... 16 to 50
1 „ man „ 18 „ 50 ,^ .^ .. 10to50 /
The country of Ujiji extends between the Liuch^
river, along the Tanganika, north to the Mshala river,
which gives it a length of forty-five miles. The former
river separates it from Ukaianga on the south, while
the latter river acts as a boundary between it and
Urundi. As Ujiji is said to border upon Uguru, a dis-
trict of Uhha, it may be said to have a breadth of
twenty miles. Thus the area of Ujiji is not above 900
square miles. The Mtemi, or king, is called Mgassa, who
entertains a superstitious fear of the lake. His resi-
dence is in a valley amongst the mountains bordering
upon Uguru, and ho believes that in the hour he looks
upon the lake he dies. This superstitious fear may
have some connection with the Legend of the Lake,
which I shall give later.
I should estimate the population of the country to be
very fairly given at forty to the square mile, which
will make it 36,000 souls. The Liuch^ vallev is com-
paratively populous, and the port of Ujiji — consisting of
Ugoy and KaweM districts — has alone a population of
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6 THROUQH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1876. 3000. Kigoma and Kasimbu are other districts
P°!!** patronized by Arabs and Wangwana.
The Wajiji are a brave tribe, and of very indepen-
dent spirit, but not quarrelsome. When the mode-
rate fee demanded by the Mutware of Ugoy, Kawele, and
Kasimbu is paid, the stranger has the liberty of settling
in any part of the district, and as an excellent under-
standing exists between the Mutware and the Arab
governor, Muini Kheri, there is no fear of ill-usage.
The Mgwana or the Mjiji applying to either of them
is certain of receiving fair justice, and graver cases are
submitted to an international commission of Arabs and
Wajiji elders, because it is perfectly understood by both
parties that many moneyed interests would be injured
if open hostilities were commenced.
The Wajiji are the most expert canoemen of all the
tribes around the Tanganika. They have visited every
country, and seem to know each lieadland, creek, bay,
and river. Sometimes they meet with rough treatment,
but they are as a rule so clever, wide-awake, prudent,
commercially politic, and superior in tact, that only
downright treachery can entrap them to death. They
have so many friends also that they soon become in-
formed of danger, and dangerous places are tabooed.
The governor of the Arab colony of Ujiji, having
been an old friend, was, as may be supposed, courteous
and hospitable to me, and Mohammed bin Gharib, who
was so good to Livingstone between Marungu and Ujiji,
as far as Manyema, did his best to show me friendly
attention. Such luxuries as sweetmeats, wheaten bread,
rice, and milk were supplied so freely by Muini Kheri
and Sheikh Mohammed that both Frank and myself
began to increase rapidly in weight.
Judging from their rotundity of body, it may fairly
be said that both the friends enjoy life. The governor
is of vast girth, and Mohammed weighs probably only
Digitized
byG00gl(
ujyi.
ARAB RIVALS. 7
two stone less. The preceding governor, Mohammed i876
bin Sab', was also of ample circumference, from which ^'*°®
I conclude that the climate of Ujiji agrees with the
Arab constitution. It certainly did not suit mine while
I was with Livingstone, for I was punished with
remittent and intermittent fever of such severe type
and virulence that in three months I was reduced in
weight to seven stone !
Muini Kheri's whole wealth consists of about 120
slaves, male and female, eighty guns, eighty frasilah of
ivory, two tembes, or houses, a wheat and rice field,
nine canoes with oars and sails, forty head of cattle,
twenty goats, thirty bales of cloth, and twenty sacks
of beads, 350 lbs. of brass wire, and 200 lbs. of iron
wire, all of which, appraised in the Ujiji market,
might perhaps realize 18,000 dollars. His friend
Mohammed is probably worth 3000 dollars only !
Sultan bin Kassim may estimate the value of his
property at 10,000 dollars, Abdullah bin Suliman, the
owner of tlie Great Eastern of Lake Tanganika, at
15,000 dollars. Other Arabs of Ujiji may be rated at
from 100 to 3000 dollars.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Gharib is the owner of the
finest house. It is about 100 feet long by 25 feet in
width and 14 feet in height. A broad verandah,
10 feet wide and 40 feet long, runs along a portion of
the fronts and affords ample space for the accommoda-
tion of his visitors on the luxurious carpets. The
building is constructed of sun-dried brick plastered over
neatly with clay. The great door is a credit to his
carpenter, and his latticed windows are a marvel to the
primitive native trader from Uhha or Uvinza. The
courtyard behind the house contains the huts of the
slaves, kitchens, and cow-house.
By his Arab friends Sheikh Mohammed bin Gharib
Digitized by VjOOQIC
ujUi.
8 THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1876. is regarded as an enterprising man, a good friend, but
^"°** too liberal to his slaves, for which reason they say he is
on the verge of bankruptcy. He is so much in debt
that he has no credit at Zanzibar.
There is a good deal of jealousy between the Arabs
of Ujiji, which sometimes breaks out into bloodshed.
When Sayid bin Habib enters Ujiji trouble is not far
ofiF. The son of Habib has a large number of slaves,
and there are some fiery souls amongst them, who
resent the least disparagement of their master. A bitter
reproach is soon followed by a vengeful blow, and
then the retainers and the chiefs of the Montagues and
Capulets issue forth with clubs, spears, and guns, and
Ujiji is all in an uproar, not to be quieted until the
respective friends of the two rivals carry them bodily
away to their houses. On Arabs, Wangwana, and
slaves alike I saw the scars of feuds.
Abdullah bin Suliman and has partisans are settled
in Kasimbu, because Muini Kheri*s hot-headed young
Arab relatione, Bana Makomb^ and Muini Hassan, are
for ever endangering the peace by their insolence. The
feud began by a slave of Abdullah's having attempted
to stab Bana Makomh^, because the haughty young
Arab had spurned him once with his foot. Only a few
drops of the bluest blood from the aristocracy of Sa*adani
were drawn in the happily abortive attempt, but the
aristocrats mustered in force. The coast Arabs residing
at Kigoma advanced towards Ujiji with 300 guns, and
called upon the governor to arm to avenge the blood
that had been shed. The governor, however, called
upon the Mutwar^, and the Wajiji swarmed by the
hundreds to attack Abdullah bin Suliman. Fortunately
Abdullah was prudent and met them with only a few
men. But though he mildly expostulated with them
that it was a drunken slave who was the cause, he
Digitized
byG00gl(
UjijL
NO NEWS FEOM HOME. 9
was condemned to lose his right hand, from which fate, isra.
however, he was saved by the governor relenting and ^"^^
demanding instead the head of the murderous slave.
It will be manifest, then, that the safety of a Euro-
pean at Ujiji would be but precarious. Any of his
people, inspired by porube or native wine, might, at
any moment, in drunken fury, mortally wound an
Arab or Mswahili of the coast, the result of which
would be that the European would either have to
forfeit all his goods or his life, or decamp with his
people immediately to save himself.
Life in Ujiji begins soon after dawn, and, except on
moonlight nights, no one is abroad after sunset. With
the Arabs — to whom years are as days to Europeans —
it is a languid existence, mostly spent in gossip, the
interchange of dignified visits, ceremonies of prayer,
au hour or two of barter, and small household affairs.
There were no letteis for either Frank or myself
after our seventeen mcmths' travels around and through
the lake regions. From Kagehyi, on Lake Victoria, I
had despatched messages to Sayid bin Salim, governor
of Unyanyembe, praying him to send all letters
addressed to me to Muini Kheri, governor of Ujiji,
promising hira a noble reward. Not that I was sure
that I should pass by Ujiji, but I knew that, if I arrived
at Nyangwe, I should be able to send a force of twenty
men to Muini Kheri for my letters. Though Sayid
bin Salim had over twelve months' time to comply with
my moderate request, not a scrap or word of news or
greeting refreshed us after the long blank interval !
Both of us, having eagerly looked forward with certainty
to receiving a bagful of letters, were therefore much
disappointed.
As I was about to circumnavigate the Tanganika
with my boat, and would probably be absent two
or three months, I thought there might still be a
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byG00gl(
Ujgi.
10 THROUGH THE DABK CONTINENT.
1876. chance of obtaining them, before setting out west-
•'"°®- ward, by despatching messengers to TJnyanyembe.
Announcing my intentions to the governor, I obtained
a promise that he would collect other men, as he and
several Arabs at Ujiji were also anxious to communicate
with their friendb. Manwa Sera therefore selected
five .of the most trustworthy men, the Arabs also
selected five of their confidential slaves, and the ten
men started for TJnyanyembe on the 3rd June.*
Before departing on the voy«nge of circumnavigation
of Lake Tanganika, many affairs had to be provided
for, such as the wellbeing of the Expedition during
my absence, distribution of suflBcient rations, provision-
ing for the cruise, the engagement of guides, &c.
The two guides I obtained for the lake were Para,
who had accompanied Cameron in March and April
1874, and Ruango, who accompanied Livingstone aad
myself in December 1871 to the north end of Lake
Tanganika.
The most interesting point connected with this lake
was its outlet. Before starting from Zanzibar, I had
heard that Cameron had discovered the outlet to
Lake Tanganika in the Lukuga river, which ran
through Uguha to the west, and was therefore an
afiluent of Livingstone's great river.
In Commander Cameron's book, vol. i. p. 305, the
following sentences, bearing upon what he personally
saw of the Lukuga, are found : —
" In company with the chief, I went four or five miles down the river,
until navigation was rendered impossible, owing to the masses of floating
vegetation. Here the depth was 3 fathoms, breadth 600 yards, current
11 knots, and sufficiently strong to drive us well into the edge of the
♦ My five trustworthy men arrived at Unyanyemb^ within fifteen days,
hut from some cause they never returned to the Expedition. We halted
at Ujiji for seventy days after their departure, and when we turned our
faces towards Nyangw6, we had given up all hopes of hearing from
civilization.
Digitized
byG00gl(
RISING WATEES. 11
vegetation. I noticed that the embouchures of some small streams jgy^
flowing into the river were unmistakably turned from the lake^ and that June,
the weed set in the same direction. Wild date-palms grew thickly ujiji.
down the riyer."
In opposition to this statement of Cameron's was the
evidence taken by me at Ujiji.
Para, his guide, said that the white man could not have
seen the river flowing towards Rua, because it did not.
.Ruango, the veteran guide, declared that he had
crossed it five times, that it was a small river flowing
into the Tanganika, and that if I found it to flow in a
contrary direction, he would return me all his hire.
Natives from the Lukuga banks whom we found in
Ujiji asserted positively that there were two Lukugas,
one flowing into Lake Tanganika, the other into Rua.
Muini Kheri, gov.ernor of Ujiji, Mohammed bin
Gharib, Muini Hassan, Bana Makomb^, and Wadi
Safeni, all of whom had travelled across this Lukuga
river, also declared, in the most positive manner, that
during the many times they had crossed the " Lukuga,"
they either passed over it on dry land or were
ferried in canoes across the entrance, which appeared
to them only an arm of the lake ; that until the white
man had come to Ujiji, they had never heard of an
outflowing river, nor did they believe there was one.
The positiveness of their manner and their testimony,
so utterly at variance with what Commander Cameron
had stated, inspired me with the resolution to explore
the phenomenon thoroughly, and to examine the
entire coast minutely. At the same time, a suspicion
that there was no present outlet to the Tanganika had
crept into my mind, when I observed that three palm-
trees, which had stood in the market-place of Ujiji in
November 1871, were now about 100 feet in the
lake, and that the sand beach over which Livingstone
and I took our morning walks was over 200 feet in
the lake.
Digitized
byG00gl(
June.
Ujiji.
12 THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1870, I asked of Muini Kheri and Sheikh Mohammed if
my impressions were not correct about the palm-trees,
and they both replied readily in the affirmative. Muini
Kheri said also, as corroborative of the increase of the
Tanganika, that thirty years ago the Arabs were able
to ford the channel between Bangw^ Island and the
mainland; that they then cultivated rice-fields three
miles farther west than the present beach ; that every
year the Tanganika encroaches upon their shores and
fields; and that they are compelled to move every
five years farther inland. In my photograph of
Ujiji, an inlet may be seen on a site which was dry
land, occupied by fishing-nets and pasture ground, in
1871.
I proceeded to Bangw^ Island, before setting out on
my voyage, and sounded the channel separating it from
the mainland. Between a pebble<-overed point of
Bangwe and the nearest tongue on the mainland, I
dropped mv lead thirteen times. In mid-channel I
found 18, 21, 23, 24, 25, 22, 23, 20, 19, and 17 feet.
The Wajiji lake-traders and fishermen have two
interesting legends respecting the origin of the Tan-
ganika. Ruango, the veteran guide, who showed
Livingstone and myself the Rusizi river in 1871, and
whose version is confirmed by Para, the other guide,
related the first as follows : —
" Years and years ago, where you see this great
lake, was a wide plain, inhabited by many tribes and
nations, who owned large herds of cattle and flocks of
goats, just as you see Uhha to-day.
" On this plain there was a very large town, fenced
round with poles strong and high. As was the custom
in those days, the people of the town surrounded their
houses with tall hedges of cane, enclosing courts, where
their cattle and goats were herded at night from the
wild beasts and from thieves. In one of these en-
Digitized
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TEE LEGEND OF THE LAKE. 13
closures lived a man and his wife, who possessed a deep 1876.
well, from which water hubbled up and supplied a ^^T
beautiful little stream, at which the cattle of their
neighbours slaked their thirst.
" Strange to say, this well contained countless fish,
which supplied both the man and his wife with an
abundant supply for their wants ; but as their possession
of these treasures depended upon the secrecy which
they preserved respecting them, no one outside their
family circle knew anything of them. A tradition
was handed down for ages, through the family, from
father to son, that on the day they showed the well
to strangers, they would be ruined and destroyed.
"It happened, however, that the wife, unknown to
her husband^ loved another man in the town, and
by and by, her passion increasing, she conveyed to
him by stealth some of the delicious fish from the
wonderful well. The meat was so good, and had
such a novel flavour, that the lover urged her to inform
him whence and by what means she obtained it ; but
the fear of dreadful consequences, should she betray the
secret of the well, constrained her to evade for a long
time his eager inquiries. But she could not retain the
secret long, and so, in spite of all her awe for the
Muzimu of the well, and her dread of her husband's
wrath, she at last promised to disclose the mystery.
"Now one day the husband had to undertake a
journey to Uvinza, but before departure he strictly en-
joined his wife to look after his house and effects, and
to remember to be silent about the fountain, and by no
means to admit strangers, or to go a-gadding with
her neighbours, while he was absent. The wife of
course promised to obey, but her husband had been
gone only a few hours when she went to her lover and
said, * My husband is gone away to Uvinza, and will
not be back for many days. You have often asked
Digitized
byG00gl(
June.
Ujiji.
14 THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1876. me whence I obtained that delicious meat we ate
together. Come with me, and I will show you.'
" Her lover gladly accompanied her, and they went
into the house, and the wife feasted him with Zogga
(palm wine) and Maramba (plantain wine), TJgali
porridge made of Indian corn, and palm-oil, seasoned
with pepper — and an abundance of fish meat.
** Then when they had eaten the itian said, * We have
eaten and drunk, and we are now full. Now pray
show me whence you obtain this wondrous white meat
that I have eaten, and which is far sweeter than the
flesh of kid or lamb or fowl.'
** * I will,' said she, * because I have promised to you
to do so, and I love you dearly ; but it is a great secret,
and my husband has strictly warned me not to show it
to any human being not related to the family. There-
fore you, my love, must not divulge the secret, or betray
me, lest some great evil happen to me and to us all.'
" * Nay, have no fear of me ; my mouth shall be
closed, and my tongue tied, lest danger should happen
to the mistress of my heart.'
" So they arose, and she took him to the enclosure,
jealously surrounded by a tall thick fence of matete
cane, and taking hold of his hand she led the im-
patient lover within, and showed him what appeared
to be a circular pool of deep clear water, which
bubbled upward from the depths, and she said —
" * Behold ! This is our wondrous fountain — is it not
beautiful ? — and in this fountain are the fish.'
*' The man had never seen such things in his life, for
there were no rivers in the neighbourhood except that
which was made by this fountain. His delight was
very great, and he sat for some time watching the fish
leaping and chasing each other, showing their white
bellies and beautiful bright sides, and coming up to the
surface and diving swiftly down to the bottom. He
Digitized
byG00gl(
UjijL
TEE MOTHER OF THE LUKUGA. 15
Iwd never enjoyed such pleasure ; but when one of the i876.
boldest of the fish came near to where he was sitting ^^^^
he suddenly put forth his hand to catch it. Ah, that was
the end of all ! — for the Muzirau, the spirit, was angry.
And the world cracked asunder, the plain sank down,
and down and down — the bottom cannot now be reached
by our longest lines — and the fountain overflowed and
filled the great gap that was made by the earthquake,
and now what do 'you see ? The Tanganika ! All the
people of that great plain perished, and all the houses
and fields and gardens, the herds of cattle and flocks
of goats and sheep, were swallowed in the waters.
" That is what our oldest men have told us about tho
Tanganika. Whether it is true or not I cannot say."
" And what became of the husband ?" I asked.
^ Oh, after he had finished his business m Uvinza,
he began his return journey, and suddenly he came
to some mountains he had never seen before, and from
the top of the mountains he looked down upon a
great lake ! So then he knew that his wife had
disclosed the secret fountain, and that all had perished
because of her sin.'*
The other tradition imparted to me by the ancients
of Ujiji relates that many years ago — how long no one
can tell — the Luwegeri, a( river flowing from the east to
the lake near Urimba, was met by the Lukuga flowing
from the westward, and the united waters filled the
deep valley now occupied by the Tanganika. Hence
the Luwegeri is termed ** the mother of the Lukuga.'*
Still another tradition relates that the Luwegeri
flowed through the plain by Uguha, and into the great
river of Rua, but that when the plain sank the Lu-
wegeri flowed into the profound gulf caused by the
sudden subsidence of what had once been a plain.
The Waguha have also their legend, which differs
slightly from that of the Wajiji. They say that at a
Digitized
byG00gl(
Ujiji.
16 THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
187«. very remote period there was a small hill near TJrungu,
^"^.^ hollow within, and very deep and fiill of water. This
hill one day hurst, and the water spread over a great
depression that was made, and became the lake we
now see.
I made many attempts to discover whether the Wajiji
knew why the lake was called Tanganika. They all
replied they did not know, unless it was because it was
large, and canoes could make long voyages on it. They
did not call small lakes Tanganika, but they called them
Kitanga. The lake of Usukuma would be called Tan-
ganika, but the little lakes in Uhha (Musunya) would
be called Kitanga. Nika is a word they could not
explain the derivation of, but they suggested that it
might perhaps come from Nika, an electric fish which
was sometimes caught in the lake.
A rational definition of Nika I could not obtain
until one day, while translating into their language the
English words, given in the comparative table of
African languages annexed to these volumes, I came to
the word ** plain," for which I obtained nika as being
the term in Kijiji. As Africans are accustomed to
describe large bodies of water as being like plains, *' it
spreads out like a plain,'^ I think that a satisfactory
signification of the term has finally been obtained, in
** the plain-like lake."
The people of Marungu call the lake Kimana, those of
TJrungu call it lemba, the Wakawendi call it Msaga,
or " the tempestuous lake."
Westward from Ujiji the lake spreads to a distance of
about thirty-five miles, where it is bounded by the lofty
mountain range of Goraa, and it is when looking north-
west that one comprehends, as one follows that vague
and indistinct mountain line, ever paling as it recedes,
the full magnificence of this inland sea. The low island
of Bangwe on the eastern side terminates the bay of
Digitized
byG00gl(
AT TEE CLOSE OF DAT. 17
Ujiji, wliicli rounds with a crescent curve from the i876.
market-place towards it. j'""**
On very clear days the eyes may trace the eastern ^^^
shore to the south heyond the mouth of the Liuch^,
curving to the Ulambola hills, and then rounding
sh'ghtly eastward, reappearing in the imposing moun-
tain heights of Cape Kabogo.
Very pleasant are the idle hours of evening at
tJjiji, watching the clouds of sunset banking them-
selves above dark Groma, and observing the lurid
effects of the brilliant red on their gloomy masses
and on the ever ruflSed waves, tinging with strange
shades the gorgeous verdure of the ejistem shore, and
the lofty mountain ridges which enfold the deep-lying
lake. To the ears are borne the sonorous moan and
plaint of the heavy waves, which, advancing from the
south-west in serried foam-capped lines, roll unceasingly
apon the resounding shore.
At this hour, too, the fuel-laden canoes from Ulom-
bola are hurrying homeward, with oar and sail. The
cattle, lowing to expectant calves, and the goats bleat-
ing for their kids, are hurrying from the pastures in
advance of the tiny herd-boys, the asses' feet clatter
as they go, bearing their masters home from Kigoma
or Kasimbu, the loud hailing of native friends an-
nounces the evening meal ready, and the spiral columns
of blue smoke ascend from many wood-fires, as we sit
here to observe the advance of the evening shades, and
to take a last look at the daylight, as it wanes and fades
over the shores of the Tanganika.
VOL. n. — 2
Digitized
byG00gl(
18 rnnouoE tee dark continent.
CHAPTER n.
Tho Lady Alice afloat again — Her mate and crew — Anxiety on her
behalf — On hallowed ground — Unwelcome Tisitors : in the haunts
of the Ruga-Ruga — The aborigines' last retreat — A scene of blood
^- The robbers of the Lake^ and their tutelary spirits — A geological
problem : were there once two lakes? — Rising waters — The abode
of the genii — A storm — Forest fires — At the mouth of Cameron's
" outlet " — The Lukuga creek.
1876. The saucy English-built boat which had made the ac-
^n*-^^ quaintance of all the bays and inlets of the Victoria
Nyanza, which had been borne on the shoulders of
sturdy men across the plains and through the ravines
of Unyoro, had halted on the verge of the cliff rising
above Beatrice Gulf, had thrust her bows among the
papyrus of the Alexandra Nile, ridden gaily over the
dark lakes of Karagw^, and crossed the inundated
plains of Usagusi, and the crocodile-haunted river of
Uviiiza, is at last afloat upon the deep-blue waters of
the Tanganika.
She is about to explore the mountain barriers which
enfold the lake, for the discovery of some gap which
lets out, or is supposed to let out, the surplus water
of rivers which, from a dim and remote period, have
been pouring into it from all sides.
She has a consort now, a lumbering, heavy, but
staunch mate, a canoe cut out from an enormous teak-
tree which once grew in some wooded gorge in the Goma
mountains. The canoe is called the Meo/u, and is the
Digitized
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Ujiji.
""TAKE CARE OF TOUBSELVESJ" 19
property of Muini Klieri, governor of Ujiji, who has isre.
kindly lent it to me. As he is my friend, he says he ^°^* ^^
will not charge me anything for the loan. But the
governor and I know each other pretty well, and I
know that when I return from the voyage, I shall have
to make him a present. In Oriental and African lands,
remuneration, hire, compensation, guerdon, and present
are terms nearly related to one another.
The boat and her consort are ready on the 11th June
1876. The boat's crew have been most carefully
selected. They are all young, agile, faithful creatures.
Their names and ages are as follows : Uledi, the cox-
swain, 25 years; Saywa, his cousin, 17; Shumari, his
brother, 18; Murabo, 20; Mpwapwa, 22; Marzouk,
23; Akida, 20; Mambu, 20; Wadi Baraka, 24 ; Zaidi
Rufiji, 27 ; Matiko, 19. Two supernumeraries are the
boy gun-bearers, Billali and Mabruki, 1 "^ and 15 years
respectively. After eighteen months' experience with
them it has been decided by all that these are the elect
of the Expedition for boat-work, though they are by no
means the champions of the march. But as they have
only light loads, there has never been reason to com-
plain of them.
There is much handshaking, many cries of "Take
care of yourselves," and then both boat and canoe hoist
sail, turning their heads along the coast to the south.
Kasimbu, two miles from Ugoy to Ujiji, sends forth
her Arab and slave inhabitants to cry out their fare-
wells, and half an hour afterwards we are at the mouth
of the Liuche river.
The reason why Arabs, Wajiji, and Wangwana have
been more than usually demonstrative is that they will
not believe that such a frail structure as our boat
will be able to endure the heavy waves of the Tanga-
nika. They declared we should all be drowned, but our
Wangwana have ridiculed their fears, and quoted her
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byG00gl(
20 TEBOUGH TEE DARK CONTINENT.
1870. brilliant exploit round a lake twice the size of the
June 12. Tanganika, and so at last they had come to be
*'"'^ satisfied with a dismal " Well, you shall see !'*
During nearly the whole of the next day our voyage
to the south is along the forest-clad slopes of Ulambola
and the tawny plains of Ukaranga, until we arrive at the
mouth of the Malagarazi river. At 3 p.m. we rowed
up river, which at the mouth is about 600 yards wide,
and sends a turbid brown stream into the lake. When
a continuous south-west wind blows, its waters are
known to tinge the lake with its colour as far as Ujiji.
The river soon narrows to 200 yards, and about five
miles up to 150 yards. I sounded twice, and obtained
over 50 feet each time. The southern bank is very
mountainous, but on the opposite side stretches a plain
until the detached ranges of Ukaranga become massed,
about five miles from the lake, and, running easterly,
form the northern bank of the river.
On the 13th our voyage was along the bold moun-
tain spurs of Kawendi,. forming a steep, rock-bound
coast, indented at frequent intervals with calm, pool-
like bays, and their height© clothed with solemn woods.
At noon we were oflf Kabogo's lofty headland, and
remembering that Dr. Livingstone had said that he
could find no bottom at 300 fathoms, I sounded a mile
off shore, and found 109 fathoms. At two miles off I
found no depth with 140 fathoms. I then fastened
sixty fathoms more,, but at 1200 feet obtained no
bottom.
About four miles south of dreaded Kabogo, on a
narrow strip of sand,, we beached our boat and canoe
far out of the heavy surf, and then climbed the 2000
feet-high slopes in search, of game ; but the grass was
high, the jungle dense, the slope steep and fatiguing,
and we had to return without sighting a single head.
Next day we coasted along land familiar to me from
Digitized
byG00gl(
Jane 15
UrimtML
ON HALLOWED GROUND. 21
ray journey with Livingstone to Unyanyembe, and at i876.
7 P.M. encamped at Uriraba, about a mile south-west of
the river Luwajeri, or Luwegeri.
Having been so successful in January 1872, I sallied
out the next day over ground which I looked upon with
reverence. The exact place covered by our little t^nt,
only 6 feet square of land, was hallowed by associa-
tions of an intercourse which will never, never be re-
peated. I recognized the tree above which we hoisted
our mighty crimson and white banner to atti'act the
lagging land caravan, the plain where I had dropped
the zebra, the exact spot where I shot a fine fat goose
for breakfast, the aspiring peak of Kivanga, the weird
looking mountains of Tongwe, I knew my road here,
and dwelt upon all its features, until the old life seemed
renewed, and all things seemed as before.
But I resumed my search. In an hour I am two
miles from camp, and in view of a herd of zebra.
Billali becomes feverish lest I should miss the game,
and, like an honest, faithful servant taking enormous
interest in his master's success, lies down to hug the
ground in piteous stillness. I advance a few paces
cautiously behind a scraggy acacia, and in a few
seconds two of the noble creatures are dead, and the
others are sweeping round a clump of hills, whimper-
ing for their lost companions. As we have now
enough meat to last us several days, I give them their
liberty.
The day is devoted to cutting the meat into long
strips and drying it over wooden gi-ates, while each of
the forty men composing the lake exploring band seems
profoundly impressed with the necessity of forestalling
future demands on his digestive organs by consuming
injudicious quantities there and then.
In the midst of this most innocent recreation there
stepped forth to our view some sinister objects — Ruga-
Digitized
byG00gl(
Jane 16,
Urimba.
22 THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1876. Ruga ! As undesirable as wolves in a stern Siberian
winter to an unarmed party in a solitary sledge are
the Ruga-Ruga to peaceful travellers in an African
forest or wilderness. Whatever the accident that
brought them, their very presence suggested the pos-
sibility and probability of a bloody struggle. They
are bandits, wretches devoted to plunder and murder,
men whose hands are at all times ready to be imbrued
in blood.
They are representatives of that tribe which has
desolated and depopulated beautiful Kawendi from the
Malagarazi river down to the Rungwa ? All alike —
whether Arabs, Wajiji, Wangwana, Wanyamwezi, or
the aborigines of the land — owe them an unpaid debt
of vengeance for the blood they have shed. It was
not our special task, however, to undertake the repay-
ment, therefore neither by word nor look did we betray
any antipathy.
We gave them gifts of meat at their own request
The tobacco gourd passed round in their polluted,
crimeful hands, and we grasped their hands in token
of amity — and parted.
On the 17th June we continued our voyage from
Urimba towards Kungwe cape, one of the projecting
spurs from the Kungwe mountains, and in the evening
camped on Bongo Island, a few miles south-west from
Ndereh, the robbers' village. We were visited in the
night by about sixty of them armed with muskets.
Though it was an unusual hour, and an unseasonable
one for receiving visitors, we avoided trouble, and by
parting with cloth and exhausting the powers of
suavity, we happily avoided a rupture with the wild
and bloody men of Ndereh, and before dawn stole away
unperceived on onr journey.
The peaks of Kungw^ are probably from 2500 to
3000 feet above the lake. They are not only interesting
Digitized
byG00gl(
THE ABORIGINES IN THEIR LAST STRONGHOLD. 23
from their singular appearance, but also as being a refuge
for the last remaining families of the aborigines of
Kawendi. On the topmost and most inaccessible heights
dwells the remnant of the once powerful nation which
in old times — so tradition relates — overran Uhha and
Uvinza, and were a terror to the Wakalaganza. They
cultivate the slopes of their strongholds, which amply
repay them for their labour. Fuel is found in the
1876.
June 18.
Kungwe.
KUN(JWK PKAK8.
(From a sketch near the entrance to the Luwuluwju torrent htd.)
gorges between the y>eaks, and means of defence are at
hand in the huge rocks which they have piled up ready
to repel the daring intruder. Their elders retain the
traditions of the race whence they sprang ; and in their
charge are the Lares and Penates of old Kawendi — the
Muzimu. In the home of the eagles they find a pre-
carious existence, as a seed to reproduce another nation,
or as a short respite before complete extermination.
Digitized
byGoogU
24 TEBOUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1876. The best view of this interesting clump of mountain
June 18. ijeiVhts is to be had off the mouth of the torrent Luwu-
Kungw^ , ^
lungu.
From Cape Kungwe south, the coast as far as Ulam-
bnla consists of a lofty mountain front, pierced by several
deep and most picturesque inlets, gorges, ravines, and
rifts. Into these pours the Luwulungu, rushing along
a steep, stony bed, from the chasms and defiles over-
shadowed by tlie tall peaks of Kungwe — and the
Lubugwe, emptying its waters into a pretty cove pene-
trating to the very heart of the mountain wall. At an
angle of 45° this mountain wall rises up to the height of
2000 feet, clothed from base to summit with the verdure
of cane, wild grasses, and tall straight trees with silvery
stems. Then next comes the Kasuma inlet, and here,
straight before our eyes, is seen a river dropping, in a
succession of falls, from the lofty summit, into shadowy
depths of branching tamarinds, acacias, and teak. All
is silent in the deep-bosomed cove except the rhythmic
waterfall, and the trees stand still, as tliongh fascinated
by the music, and the grim heights frewn a silent
approval ; the pale blue arm of the lake rests expectant
for the moment when it shall receive the impetuous
child of the mountains which it sees leaping down to it
from above, and flashing so brightly at every great leap.
Along the glorious, green, steep headlands we wind in
and out, cast a glance in at Numbi's pretty cove, and
encamp for the night near the bold cape of Ulambula.
We resumed the voyage on the 10th, and, shortly
after leaving our camp in the neighbourhood of the
cape, saw a point of land connected by a narrow neck
with the mainland, under which were two natural arches,
spanning two channels. From the cape the mountain
range gradually recedes from the lake, until, near the
Rugufu river, it again approaches and finally forms
the headlands of Buyramembe'.
Digitized
byG00gl(
A DEED OF BLOOD. 25
A little south of the cape the crest of a small and i876.
lately submerged island was also seen. At noon I took ^^ ^^'
observations for latitude, at the north end of Kabogo,
an island lying parallel to the mainland at a distance
of from 300 to 500 yards. On the shores, both of
mainland and island, flourishes the borassus palm.
Kabogo was once densely peopled, but the bandits of
Ndereh, the scourge of Kawendi, have caused them to
emigrate to other districts to crave protection from
chiefs more powerful than their own.
About 2 P.M. we came in view of Kiwesa, which
appeared from the lake a very large village. But as
we approached its shores under sail, we were struck with
the silence which reigned around, and the sight of a
large herd of buflFalo grazing near the village still more
astonished us.
The guides declared that only five weeks before they
had stopped in it and traded with Ponda, the chief, and
they could give no reason why — as two boats under sail
would most likely attract the attention of the natives —
the people of Ponda did not appear on the shore.
We resolved to venture in to discover the cause.
There was a deathly silence around. Numbers of earth-
enware pots, whole, and apparently but little used,
were strewn about the beach and among the reeds
flanking the path which led to the village, besides
stools, stafiB, hand-brooms, gourds, (fee. (fee. This was
ominous. There was probably a trap or a snare of
some kind laid for us. We retreated therefore hastily
to the boat and canoe, and thirty men were armed.
Thus, better prepared against the wiles of savage men,
we advanced again cautiously towards the village.
As we were surmounting the high ground on which
the village was built, we saw a sight which froze the
blood — the body of a poor old man, in a decomposed
state, with a broad spear-wound in the back, and near it
Digitized
byG00gl(
26 THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1876. much dried blood. He had probably been dead five or
June 19. * i
SIX days.
A few yards farther, we saw the decapitated corpse
of another maD, and 10 feet from it, in a furrow or
water channel, the bodies of three men and a woman,
one of them dislimbed.
We arrived before the village. The defences were
broken down and burnt. About fifty hnts still stood
nnharmed by fire, but all the others were consumed. A
few scorched banana stalks stood as a witness of the
fury of the conflagration. But despite the black ruin
and the charred embers which so plentifully strewed the
ground, evidences were clear that flight had been hasty
and compulsory, for all the articles that constitute the
furniture of African families lay scattered in such num-
bers around us that an African museum might have
been completely stocked. Stools, mats, spears, drinking-
vessels, cooking-pots of all sizes, walking-stafis, war-
clubs, baskets, trenchers, wooden basins, scoops, &c.
There were also abundant proofs that this ruin was
recent ; a few wood-rails still smoked, the hearths were
still warm, the dead were not putrefied. A coal-black
cat made a dash from one of the houses yet standing,
and the sudden motion startled ns all in this place of
death and vengeance.
Ponda, the chief of this village, had no doubt given
some provocation to this unknown enemy. Para thought
the enemy must have been the robbers of Ndereh, for
the condition of the village bore signs of superior
energy in the attack. And yet it had been constructed
with a view to secure immunity from the fate which
generally overtakes weak communities in Africa in the
neighbourhood of ferocious and war-loving tribes. A
wide ditch — in some parts 10 feet deep — and a strong
palisade, with an earthwork, surrounded the settlement.
The lake was close by to supply water, the country
Digitized
byG00gl(
Rugufu.
THE LAKE ''EATING TEE LANDr 27
near it was open, and the sharpshooters' nest-liko i87ft
towers commanded a wide view. From some thirty ^^J„J,^*
bleached skulls arranged before Fonda's own house
we argued that he did not himself fail to proceed to the
same extremes which his enemies had now adopted to
his utter ruin. It is the same story throughout Africa.
We resumed our voyage for the mouth of the Rugufu
river. 1'he shore between Kiwesa and the river is
comparatively low. The waves have so beaten and
shaken the low red bluffs and soft ferruginous clay
that numerous landsKps are constantly occurring. The
debris are then vigorously pounded and crushed by the
surf, and at length they are spread out into a narrow
line of beach at their base, over which the spluttering
waves surge up continuously.
The impression received at Ujiji, that the Tanganika
is rising, was confirmed whenever we neared low shores.
Elspecially was it the case at the Rugufu river, and Para
the guide, as we entered it, stood up and exclaimed : —
" Oh, mother, mother, mother, see ye now ! When
I was with that other white man here, we camped on a
strip of land which is now buried in the water ! The
Tanganika is indeed eating the land !"
The Rugufu oozes out from the midst of a broad bed
of papyrus and reeds between precipitous banks.
On leaving the river we coasted along the bluff,
steeply rising slopes of a mountain range which trends
south-south-east as far as the settlements of Ruhinga,
Kafisya, Katavi, and Kantamba.
Between the Rugufu and Buyramemb^ Point a
stratum of a very dark hornblende slate, is visible rest-
ing upon gneiss in undulating, vertical, or diagonal
lines ; further on we come to a stratified quartzose and
greenstone rock. On the crest of this part of the range
and its projecting spur is a thin forest of poor trees.
The soil too is poor, and much mixed with shaly debris.
Digitized
byG00gl(
June 19.
G«zeK
28 TEROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1876.^ The mouth of the Gezeh river is a frequent haunt
of herds of buffaloes, and also, being a fine haven, of
trading canoes. Among the stories related of this
place is one of a wonderful escape of a party of Wajiji
traders from the bandits of Ndereh. The robbers stole
into the camp while the Wajiji were all asleep, but some
of the canoemen, awaking, punted their boats out of
reach, and shouted to their comrades, who sprang into
the water to avoid the fate that would otherwise have
certainly overtaken them all.
The settlements of Kafisya, and the others just men-
tioned, have such an ill repute that I cannot imagine
any necessity inducing a traveller to cultivate the ac-
quaintance of the evil-conditioned people, unless, of
course, he is so rich in cloth and followers that waste
of them is of little consequence to him.
It is said that when they see the Wajiji trading
canoes pass by them, the robbers pray to the Muzimu of
Katavi to induce the Msaga — the tempestuous sea — to
drive them ashore. The Muzimu of Katavi is one of
the most powerful spirits along the shores of the
Tanganika, according to legendary lore. Though he
is capable of much mischief, ho takes freaks of charity
into his whimsical head, such as gratuitously killing
buffaloes and then informing the inhabitants where the
meat may be found ; he is also said to have a relentless
animosity towards the bandits of Ndereh, and frequently
entraps them to their destruction. A conical knoll is
called, after this spirit, Katavi's Hill.
Before the mouth of the Mkombd river there lies a
low submerged island, just west of south from Katavi.
Only a few shrubs and the heads of some tall cane were
visible above the surface of the water.
From Gezeh to Igangw^ Cove was a good day's
journey against the south-easter which blew strongly
against us. Igangwe Cove penetrates about a mile deep
Digitized
byG00gl(
FROM OEZEH TO MKARENQE. 29
into the mountain folds. Though it was the season when i876.
the grasses are becoming sere, and some of the trees lose '^ ^^'
that vivid greenness of foh'age which is their glory
during the rainy season, the aspect of the slopes had
still a freshness and beauty which, with the placid
mirror-like cove, made a picture worth preserving.
A day's journey south by east took us to the village
of Karema — the chief being Massi-Kamba, a sub-chief of
Kapufi, king of Fipa. It is situated in the angle of a
bay which begins at Igangwe Point and terminates in
the weird rock-piles of Mpimbw^ Cape.
All that mass of looming upland from Igangwe to
within a few miles of Karema is included in the country
of Kawendi or, as it is sometimes called, Tongw^.
South of that line begins Fipa.
Arabs are beginning to establish themselves at
Karema for trade, the Wa-fipa being more amenable
to reason than the ** scattered and peeled" tribes of
Tongw^.
Between Karema and Mpimbwe Cape lies a fine
country studded with coves and hills, square-topped and
round. Game is abundant and easy of approach. A
bufialo and a small red antelope were obtained by me
here, the two shots supplying the crews with abundance
of meat
Proceeding some eight miles south-west towards
Mpimbwe, we come to a narrow ridge rising about
600 feet above the lake. Its shore is deeply indented,
and the wash of waves has bared enormous masses of
granite.
At the south-western corner of this bay there is a
neck of low land which all but connects Mpimbw^ ridge
with the mainland ; only half a mile's breadth of low
land prevents Mpimbwe being an island. Near Kipendi
Point, which is halfway between Mpimbwe ridge and
Karema, there is a tree in the lake which was pointed
Digitized
byG00gl(
30 TEROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1876. out to me as being not many years ago on dry land.
M°°*b*l "^^^^^ ^^ "^^ ^ ^^^* of water around it!
Mpimbwfe Cape oflfers a view similar to the rocks of
Wezi — of which there is a photograph in these volumes
—only of a still more gigantic size and a ruder
grandeur.
Their appearance betrays the effects of great waves
which have at one time swept over them, pouring their
waters into their recesses, cleansing by force every
cranny and flaw of their vegetable mould, and washing
out of them every particle of soil, until, one day, by
some sudden convulsion of nature, the lake subsided,
leaving, a hundred feet above its surface, these grey
and naked masses of granite.
Any one who has seen on a rock-bound coast the
wnr of sea-wave against granite, basalt, and sandstone,
will at once recognize the eflects visible at Mpimbwd.
There lie piled up rocks, hundreds of tons in weight,
some of them appearing to rest in such precarious
positions that it seems as if the finger of an infant
would suflSce to push them into the deep blue lake.
These, however, are not scored and grooved as are
those exposed to the eroding influences of ceaseless
ocean waves; they are cleanly fractured, with their
external angles only exhibiting a rough polish or round-
ness wliich I take to be clear signs that at some remote
time they were exposed to waves of great power.
Besides, the condition of the rocks at the water-line
confirms this theoiy.
Still, it is strange that the lake should have been
rising steadily ever since living men can remember,
and that those rocks of Mpimbw^ should bear witness
to the lake's subsidence.
On the 2r)th June, after coasting the western side
of this extraordinary range and proceeding south some
fifteen or sixteen miles, we arrived at Mkerengi Island,
Digitized
byG00gl(
Jane 25.
Kirando.
FREAKS OF NATUItE. 31
m the bay of Kirando; the large island of Makokorao i876.
lying to west of us a mile off". The natives of these
parts are very amiable, though extremely superstitious.
At the north-west end of Makokorao there is another
lately submerged island. Close to the south-west end
is a group of inhabited islands, Kankamba and Funeh
being the largest and most fertile.
Kirando is situated among other large villages in
what appears to be a plain, hemmed in on the east by
the continuation of the mountain ridges which we lost
sight of when we left Karema Bay. The truncated
cone of Chakavola terminates the ridge of Mpimbwfe,
and h'es north-east from Mkerengi.
Continuing our voyage southerly along the coast
between the isles of Kankamba and its brothers and
the shore of the mainland, and passing a couple of
creeks rimning deep in-shore, we came to Cape Mun-
tuwa. From this cape to Msamba Island, where we
encamped, the lake is edged by one successive series of
gigantic blocks and crags of granite. Rock rises
above rock, and fragment above fmgment. Here towers
a colossal mass the size of a two-storied house, bearing
upon it a similar mass perhaps entire, but more pro-
bably split with a singularly clean and fresh fracture,
and there springs up from the surrounding chaos a
columnar block like a closed hand with outstretched
fore-finger — ^but everywhere there is the same huge
disarray, ruin, and confusion.
We had need to be cautious in sailing along the coast,
because for several hundred yards into the lake the
rocky masses, which the uneasy billows only exposed
in glimpses, rose nearly to the surface.
A suspicion flashed into my mind as these new
features revealed themselves that in remote times this
part of the lake — from Mpimbwe south — was a separate
lake, and that Mpimbwe ridge was connected with
Digitized
byG00gl(
82 THROUGH THE DABK CONTINENT.
1876. some portion of the western coast — probably the
June 26. gQuthem portion of Goma — for while coasting from
the extreme north end of Lake Tanganika down to
Mpimbw^, I saw nothing resembling in character this
portion of the coast. In no part of all the eastern
coast down to Mpimbw^ is there anything to lead me
to suppose that the lake was ever higher than at present ;
but from Mpimbwe to Msamba I see numerous traces
that the lake has been many yards higher than it is at
present. All this dreary ruin of wave-dismantled and
polished rock was at one time covered with water.
On the 26th we camped at Mtosi, where Livingstone,
who calls it Motoshi, camped on the 23rd October
1872. The chiefs name is Kokira. A beautiful little
bay leads from the lake to the miserable village where
he lives.
We rested on Msamba Island for the evening of the
27th. The islanders told us that there was a cave
about 60 yards in length on the mainland opposite,
where they sometimes hid in time of danger. For a
small island Msamba is densely populated, and every
inch seems cultivated. The islanders are clever manu-
facturers of a strong, coarse, cotton cloth : cotton being
abundant in Fipa. The Ruguku river empties into
Msamba Bay.
The irregular ridge which follows the coast between
Msamba Island and Waupembe, our next journey, is
remarkable for a solitary columnar rock rising from
50 to 80 feet high and about half a mile from Column
Point. Rounding Kantentieh Point, we have a view of
three columnar rocks, the central one being singularly
like a mutilated Memnonium. These columns are
visible from a considerable distance north or south.
Before reaching Wanperabe, Para, the guide, gathered
a peculiar kind of berry called owindi, from a low
scrubby tree, whose appearance was anything but pro-
Digitized
byG00gl(
COASTING TEE LAKE. 33
mising for such a fragrant production as he now isis.
showed to us. The odour was not unlike that of J"^*^^',
lavender, and its strength was such that all in the boat
near him were benefited by its exquisite perfume.
In the little cove close to Wanpembe, on the north
side of the point on which it is situate, the boat floated
over the submerged fence of a village, and her keel
was 3 feet above it.
We obtained abundance of provisions at this large
village, but as there were some Watuta strangers
within the palisades, our visit was not an agreeable one.
However, despite their insolence, the peace was not
broken.
Minza, a neighbouring village, is also very large, and
possesses a strong stockade, the base of it being em-
banked with the earth excavated from the ditch.
There appears to be no diminution in the altitude of
the mountain ranges which lie along the entire east
coast of the Tanganika, or on the western side, as we
have had the west mountains plainly in view since
leaving Mpimbwd. Now and then we saw small
streams issue into the lake, but met no river of any
importance, until we came to the Zinga, or Mui-Zinga,-
as the Wajiji call it, which separates Fipa from
Urungu.
On the 30th we were coasting along the base of the
mountain ranges of Urungu, and passing by Kalavera
Point came to a bay before which were two small grass-
covered islets. On a point of the mainland, nearly
opposite these, stands Kakungu village. This point is
formed of a grey shaly rock supporting a white clay,
out of which the Wajiji on their return homeward
paint the bows of their canoes. The scenery just
beyond is bold and imposing.
Kirungwd Point consists of perpendicular walls —
from 50 to 200 feet high above the lake — of a fine
VOL. n. — 3
Digitized
byG00gl(
June 30.
KakuDgn.
84 THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1876. reddish Bandstone with horizontal strata. Their pecu-
liar appearance may he imagined when the boat's crew
cried out : —
"Oh, mother, this is a fort! See, there are the
windows, and here is one of the gates/'
Kirungw^ Point appears to be a lofty swelling ridge,
cut straight through to an unknown depth. As may
be seen from a glance at the sketch of the **High
Place of the Spirit Mtombwa," on the opposite side
of the lake, there seems ground for believing that
this ridge was once a prolongation of the plateau of
Marungu, as the rocks are of the same material, and
both sides of the lake show similar results of a sudden
subsidence without disturbance of the strata.
South of Kirungw^, or Castle Point, there lies what
we may almost call an island, which the guides said a
few years ago was connected with the mainland. It is
almost entirely separated now. A village which once
nestled comfortably in the hollow between the rising
ridges is now half buried in water. The huts appeared
ready to collapse, for the water had already flooded
them. This village was called Ma-Zombe.
In the evening, as we prepared to encamp, four
canoes of Ujiji, loaded with women and children, to the
number of sixty-four — slaves from the Rufuvu river
and from Muriro's — passed by our camp.
The bay of Kawa, which we passed through next
day, is very picturesque ; woods clothe the slopes and
heights, and huts for the accommodation of the
Muzimus, or spirits, have been erected in several of the
bends. Kawa river empties into this bay.
During the 2nd and 3rd July we rowed close to
the uninhabited shore, and at noon of the 3rd arrived
at the extreme south end of the lake — which we ascer-
tained to be 8° 47' south latitude — ^in the district of
Ukituta. The little stream Kapata issues into the lake
Digitized
byG00gl(
THE SOUTHERN END OF THE LAKE.
35
at this end through a dense and dark grove, the dead
trees standing in front of the grove bearing witness to
the destructive action of the rising waters.
I scoured the country eagerly in search of game, but,
though tracks of bufifalo were numerous, I failed to ob-
tain a glimpse of a single head. Safeni, who was the
coxswain of the Meofu canoe, accompanied me, and
1876.
July 3.
Ukituta.
THE EXTBEME SOUTIIEBN BEACH OF LAKE TANGAKIKA.
pointed out various points of interest in connection
with Livingstone, as we followed the road which he had
travelled over in his last fatal journey to Lake Bemba.
The myombo and borassus palm flourished on the
higher terraces.
On the 4th, after rounding a point of a ridge — three
miles from the Kapata — which lay north, we turned
westward between Ntondwe Island and the mainland,
and then passing by Murikwa Island, we reached, in
Digitized
byGoogU
\\.
^ ,L
* ■ ":■. U
r -i' • .0 hli^
' ■ */. •. . M * h.^f ^'' '•< !■ >^^ nT''\
' ■ . i: ■ ; .'s' villi :i (' vti :.."! fi'. : .
■ * " ^ '' ■ '.. '*s 'u: a * :! ^ '^ .fuvi;
hWb a^Mi i]m'., 1 (^f -'Ih' ^^t)j';i.o ox
\T. -,, 1 ., .
' 'I'M. -I .*; * 'HI ii i»v ^'"^ j^a iio
Digitized
byG00gl(
THB "HIGH PLACKSJ" OF TUK SPIRIT MTOMBWA: VIEW OF MTOMBWA URUNGU.
Digitized
byGoogU
86 TEBOUQE THE DABK CONTINENT.
1876. two hours, the southern termination of the western
J«iy ^ shore of the Tanganika, whence may be seen the Wezi
wang a. ^.j^^^ tumbling down from the plateau of Urungu.
The village of Mwangala, where we camped, was at
first hidden from our view by a dense line of water-
cane, which sheltered its small fishing-canoes from the
storms of the lake. One glance at the village fence
informed us that here also was evidence that the lake
was rising. We asked the natives if they did not think
the water was gaining on them.
** Can you not see ?" said they. " Another rain and
we shall have to break away from here, and build
anew.**
" Where does the water of the lake go to ?"
" It goes north, then it seems to come back upon us
stronger than ever."
" But is there no river about here that goes towards
the west ? '*
" We never heard of any.**
That part of the western coast which extends from
Mbete or Mombet^, to the south, as far as the Rufuvu
river, is sacred ground in the lore of the ancients of
Urungu. Each crag and grove, each awful mountain
brow and echoing gorge, has its solemn associations of
spirits. Vague and indescribable beings, engendered by
fear and intense superstition, govern the scene. Any
accident that may befall, any untoward event or tragedy
that may occur, before the sanctuaries of these unreal
powers, is carefully treasured in the memories of the
people with increased awe and dread of the Spirits of
the Rocks.
Such associations cling to the strange tabular mounts
or natural towers, called Mtombwa, of which a sketch
is annexed. The height of these is about 1200 feet
above the lake. They once formed parts of the plateau
of Urungu, though now separated from it by the same
Digitized
byG00gl(
Hh '•P.Il.I! PL • 1 .' • Of IJj}- .I'.i- ^''(^
y." ;)V. ';\\ \ I i,[
Digitized
byG00gl(
36 THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1876. two hours, the southern termination of
Jaiy ^ shore of the Tanganika, whence may '
"'""^'"- river tombling down from the pl.^ ' . • ,
The village of Mwangala, ^' .\ c
first hidden from our vie''
cane, which sheltered * '• f
storms of the lak^ v :• \! t
informed us th" i * ' . . . i
was rising, /,.-'* ^ ' . •
the wa^
"»" :»" ; ■ ■• ''11 :,. .-. n: ."! ;
I k'V. ,
: )\\ :tT, -,
P
1 ' -111 1 .tx r.M
Digitized
byG00gl(
THE "HIGH PLACEb" OF THE SPIRIT MTOMBWA: VIEW OF MTOMBWA URUNGU.
Digitized
byGoogU
Digitized
byG00gl(
TEE ABODE OF THE SPIRITS OF THE STORM. 37
agency which created the fathomless gulf of the Tan- i876.
•1 July 5.
, . ,' . 1* /. M 1 Mtombwa.
Within a distance of two miles are three separate
mounts, which bear a resemblance to one another. The
first is called Mtombwa, the next Kateye, the third
Kapembwa. Their three spirits are also closely akin to
one another, for they all rule the wave and the wind,
and dwell on summits. Kateye is, I believe, the son of
MTOMBWA.
Kapembwa, the Jupiter, and Mtombwa, the Juno, of
Tanganika tradition.
As we row past close to their base, we look up to
admire the cliffy heights rising in terraces one above
another ; each terrace-ledge is marked by a thin line of
scrubby bush. Beyond Kateye, the grey front of the
paternal Kapembwa looms up with an extraordinary
height and massive grandeur.
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38 THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1876. From Kapembwa to Polombw^ Cape the plateau
^^J^. merges in a cliff-crowned wall 1500 feet above the lake.
The cliff itself is probably 200 feet high, rising above
a slope bristh'ng with great rocks half hidden by the
verdure of trees, bush, and grass. Yet the natives
cultivate some part, and their fields were seen far up
the steep ascending slopes.
On the 6th we left the neighbourhood of Polombwe,
at a place called Umisepa, and rowed round into the
Rufuvu river.
This river is about 400 yards wide, and retains that
width for about three miles — flowing with a current of
a knot an hour, and between lofty wood-clothed moun-
tains— and then broadens out into a lake-like expanse
nearly a mile wide. From the right or south bank of
the river, a plain slopes gradually to the grand cliff-
crowned walls of Kapembwa. From here to Liende
village, where we camped, our course lay east-south-
east.
Here, as elsewhere, the water has encroached upon
the soil, and has flooded a large portion of land for-
merly devoted to tillage. It is a populous spot, indeed
the most populous we had seen since leaving Ujiji.
Our reception by the people was most cordial, and I was
not sorry to become acquainted with such gentle crea-
tures. Not one angry word or insolent look was
exchanged, but they visited us with the greatest con-
fidence, and a Uvely interest for barter. We obtained
such abundance of provisions here that we might have
cruised for a month without having to call at any native
port.
The chief, Kiumeh or Chiuma-Nanga, who lives at
Mkigusa village, was visited with all due ceremony,
and proved a most kindly old man. I gladly rewarded
him for his small presents of food, and separated from
him with feelings of attachment.
^fe"
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A SOTP'WESTER ON THE LAKE. 89
Livingstone, who was here in May 1867, writes of i876.
this plain and river as follows : — '^''^^ ^'
" We came to a village about 2^ west of the confluence. The village has
a meadow about four miles wide, in which buffaloes disport themselves,
but they are very wild, and hide in the gigantic grasses. The Lofu—or
Lofabu (Eufuvu)— is a quarter of a mile wide, but higher up 300 yards.*'
Between the 6th July 1876 and May 1867, that is,
in nine years' time, the river Rufuvu has encroached
upon the "meadow** which Livingstone saw by over a
thousand yards !
It is true the plain or meadow is very low, and
that 2 feet more of a rise would extend the river over
half a mile more of ground, but the proofs are gather-
ing that the lake has been steadily rising. What was
meadow land in the days when Livingstone made the
acquaintance of the people of Liende is now clear water
half covered with growths of pale-blue lotus. The
depth of the river in mid-channel is twenty-one feet.
I should estimate the population of the plain from
Polombw^ westward to where the river narrows be-
tween the hills, a district of about eight square miles, as
about 2000 souls. We heard of Wangwana and some
Arabs camping at a village called Kungwe higher up
the river on the left bank, but as we had no occasion
for their acquaintance we did not deem it necessary to
go through the form of visiting them.
On the 7th, soon after quitting the Rufuvu river,
we had a rough experience of the worst Ma anda —
" south-wester " — Para or Ruango, our guides, had ever
been in. The Meofu was soon disabled, for its rudder
was swept away, but being towed behind by a rope,
it was fortunately not lost, while our boat flew with
double-reefed lug over the wild waves like a seagull.
The tempest sang in our ears, and the waters hissed
ns they flew by us with great high curling crests. But
Kasawa Cape was still before us, and no shelter could
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40 THROUQH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1876. be obtained until we had rounded it. We shook a
July 7^ j,^^£ ^^j^ j^g|. ^^ might be swamped, and the increased
force swept us over the topmost crests at such a speed
as made Para and Ruango set their teeth. The canoe
was out of sight; along the rock-bound shore thun-
dered the surf; the wind was rising into a hurricane,
but Kasawa was getting nearer to view, and we
held on with all sail. In fifteen minutes we were safe
behind the grej' bluffs of the headland, in a little creek
amid a heap of driftwood, and the haunt of hippopo-
tamus and crocodile. I sent a land party back to hunt
up news of the missing canoe, and by night received
the glad news that soon after they were disabled they
had managed to beach their boat without injury.
Between Kasawa and Kipimpi capes there are deep
bays, which I have taken the liberty of calling the
Cameron Bays.* A sterile and bleached country
stretches on every hand around these bays, and the
general appearance of their sterility is somewhat in-
creased by the chalky character of some of the low
cKflFs.
North of the river Rufuvu extends Uemba. Ruemba
— the country of the kke L'iemba — ^in the language
of the great Bisa tribe, which all speak, with slight
differences of dialect, in this region, signifies " lake."
Mapota River separates Uemba from Marungu.
Between Kipimpi Cape and Kalambw^ Cape, King
Muriro, or " Fire," an immigrant from Unyamwezi, has,
with the aid of a colony of restless spirits, established a
formidable village called Akalunga, close to the lake.
It is a resort for slavers, for Muriro has numbers of
slaves on hand to exchange for powder and guns, and
his people are always roving about on the look-out for
more.
• So called after Verney Lovett Cameron, Commander, E.N., the first to
navigate the Bouthem half of Lake Tanganika.
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FOREST FIRES. 41
From Kalambwe Cape northward the mountains i876.
loom higher and steeper, the shore is indented with J^^^ ^'
many narrow inlets, vertical strata of greenstone being
thus exposed, with thin forests crowning the loose soil
which covers them. The depressions between the
hilltops are numerous and shallow, consequently the
drainage is quickly carried away in small rills.
Beyond the Mapota the scenery becomes still bolder,
and the more imposing woods impart with their varied
hues of foliage and waving crowns a picturesqueness
that since leaving Fipa has been wanting in the land-
scape of the stupendous and upspringing, terraced
plateau wall of Western Urungu, or in the uniform
contoxu-s of Eastern Urungu.
At a camp near an inlet north of Kalambwe Cape
we set fire to some grass to have a more open view of
our surroundings. In an hour it had ascended the
steep slope, and was raging triumphantly on the
summit. Three nights after we saw it still burning
about fifteen miles north of the locality whence it had
first started, like a crown of glory on a mountain-top.
Observation of this fire, and many others, explains
why, in the midst of African -uplands nourishing a
dense forest, we suddenly come across narrow, iar-
penetrating plains covered with grass. They are, no
doubt, so many tongue -like extensions from some
broader, grass-covered expanses caused by fierce fires.
Wherever the ground retains an excessive quantity of
moisture, grasses, with stalks as thick as cane, spring
up during three months* rain to a height of 8 to
10, sometimes 15, feet. In May these grasses become
sere, and by June are as dry as tinder. The smallest
spark suflBces to set them in a flame, and the noise of
two brigades of infantry fighting would hardly exceed
the terrible rack, crackle, and explosions made by the
onrush of the wind-swept element. It devours every-
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42 THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1876. thing that stands before it, and roasts the surface of the
J"»7 12. gI.Q^Jld^ leaving it parched, blackened, and fissured,
arungu. Though the mountains of Marungu are steep, rugged,
and craggy, the district is surprisingly populous.
Through the chasms and great canons with which the
mountains are sometimes cleft, we saw the summits of
other high mountains, fully 2500 feet above the lake,
occupied by villages, the inhabitants of which, from the
inaccessibility of the position they had selected, were
evidently harassed by some more powerful tribes to the
westward.
The neighbourhood of Zongweh Cape is specially
distinguished for its lofty cones and great mountain
masses. Mount Murumbi, 2000 feet above the lake,
near Muri-Kiassi Cape, is a striking feature of the coast
of Marungu.
The wooded slopes and dense forest growths which
fill the gorges are haunts of what the Wangwana call
" Soko," a distinctive title they have given either to
gorillas or chimpanzees. I heard the voices of several
at Lunangwa river, but as they were at a consider-
able distance from me, I could not distinguish any
great difference between the noise they created and
that which a number of villagers might make while
quarrelling.
The Rubuko, or Lofuko, a considerable river, divides
Marungu from Tembwe. On the south side of the
river is Mompara, or, for short. Para, remarkable as
being the place whereat Livingstone embarked in canoes,
February 1869, to proceed to Ujiji for the first time
(* Last Journals,* vol. ii.) : —
" 14^^ February 1869. — Arrived at Tanganika. Parra is the name of the
land at the confluence of the river Lofuko/'
The chief of the Para village is patronized by Jumah
Merikani, who, while he is absent in Rua collecting
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MOUNT MURUMBL
43
1876.
Mompara.
slaves and ivory, entrusts his canoes to the chiefs
charge, from which it appears that the latter is a ^^"1^^^^
trustworthy man. Formerly Sheikh Sayid bin Habib
honoured him with the same confidence.
Four hours' sail brought us to the wooded headlands
of Tembwe, the most projecting of which is about
twenty-five miles from Makokomo Island, in the Bay
of Kirando, on the east coast of the lake.
MOUNT MUBOMDI.
Near this point is seen a lofty range, rising a few
miles from the lake in an irregular line of peaks, which,
as it is depressed towards the north, presents a more
arid appearance, and presently forms a range of a much
lower altitude than the mountains of Tongwe, Fipa,
Urungu, or Marungu. This continues — with gaps
here and there for rivers to escape through to the
lake — until a little north of Kasenge' Island, where it
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44 THROUGH THE BABE CONTINENT.
1876. rises again into the mountains of Goma, the highest of
Temblt ^^^ round Lake Tanganika.
At Kankindwa, which is in a little cove near Tembwe
Cape, a native told us that the Lukuga flowed out of
the lake to Rua ; another denied that flatly, and a third
said that the Lukuga flowed out of the lake towards
Rua, but that, meeting another river descending
towards the Tanganika, it was stopped, and the two
rivers formed a lake.
As we sailed north from Tembwe and observed the
comparatively low altitude of the Uguha range, I began
to feel that it was, of all the countries we had seen,
the most likely to have a gap for the escape of the
waters. It reminded me of some parts of Usukuma, on
Lake Victoria. We explored the mouths of the Ruanda,
Kasenga, Ruwye-ya, Rutuku, and Kahanda rivers, and
then from Mirembwe Cape sailed for the Lukuga — ^the
river that formed now the most interesting object of our
exploration.
On the evening of 15th July we made the acquaint-
ance of Kawe-Niangeh, the chief of the district on the
south bank of the Lukuga Creek near the mouth. He
remembered Cameron distinctly, described his person
and dress, and informed me that he had accompanied
him to the reeds which he said blocked the head of the
creek. At the time of his visit, he said — pointing at
the same time to a long line of breakers which marked
three-fourths of the broad entrance from the lake to the
creek — there were two spits of sand running from
either side of the mouth, and there was a small fishing
settlement on the one which projected from our side.
As they were now covered up, he entertained a sus-
picion that Cameron had dropped some powerful medi-
cine, which had brought on this destruction ! If one
white man had brought so miich mischief, what might
not two white men do ? " Why," said he, "the whole
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LtUcugs.
AN INFLUENT OR AN EFFLUENTS 45
country will be inundated, and nothing will be left i876.
except the tops of the great mountains !" L«knl!.
We laughed at this, and, eventually joking him out
of these ideas, succeeded in obtaining his guidance to
explore the creek, and in eliciting the following items,
which I jotted down in my journal the same evening: —
*'Jviy 15. — Opinion at the month of the Lnknga is mnch diTided
respecting this riyer, or creek, or inlet, or whatever it may be. The
information, when compared with Cameron*s statement, is altogether
incomprehensible. The old men and chiefs say that formerly the Lnwegeri
met the Lnknga, and that the meeting of the waters formed the lake.
The resnlt of this marriage of the Lnknga from the west, and the Lnwegeri
from the east, is the Tanganika, and a cordial understanding between the
waters has been kept np until lately, when it appears that the Lnknga has
b^nn to be restive and wayward, for it sometimes flows west, and sometimes
east ; or, in other words, the Lnknga during the rainy season flows into
the Tanganika, bearing with it an immense amount of water, grass, wood,
and other matter, but during the dry season, when the south-east monsoon
prevails, the Lnknga is borne west, lifting its head clear of the dry ground
and mud-banks, and flows down to the Kamalondo, near Ealumbi's country,
under the name of Buindi or Luindi. Until this rainy season, or say
March of this year, 1876, there stood a low bank of earth or mud, several
hundred yards long, between the Luindi and Lnknga, but this year's rain-
£el]1 has united the two rivers, the Lnknga flowing over this by Miketo's
country into Bua. Kamalondo is a river, and not a lake, being another
name for the Lnalaba.
*'When Cameron was here in 1874, there was a spit of dry sand
lined with grass or cane, projecting from the south side, and a similar one
from the north side, the two being separated by a nai-row channel, but
to-day both spits are covered with a line of wild breakers. The spot where
Cameron camped is no longer tenable, but is exposed to the billows of the
Tanganika, which at this season are driven in by the south-east monsoon.
" Take it any way you please, such conflict of opinions among people
who ought to know what an outlet or an outflowing river is— many of
them having seen the Luapula flow out from Bemba lake, others having
seen the Lnalaba plunge down from Mweru lake— makes it clear that
there is either a crisis approaching in nature or that it has lately taken
place, or is occurring— one cannot say which until the Lukuga is explored,
and this work I propose to begin to-morrow."
Cameron says, on p. 304, in vol. i. of his * Across
Africa * : —
" Its entrance was more than a mile across, but closed by a grass-grottm
tandbank with the exception of a channel 300 or 400 yards wide, and
acrou the channel there is a sill where the surf breaks heavily at times,
although there is more than a fathom of water at its most shallow pari"
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46 THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1876. An inflowing river meeting the billows of the
July 16. Tanganika might be supposed to form a " surf/' or
a sandy sill, it being only natural that there should
be a conflict between the opposing forces. To this
struggle then must be attributed the formation of the
*^sill of sand** which Cameron said ran across the
channel.
On the 16th we sailed up the creek. The annexed
map of this interesting locality will give its width and
soundings, and serve to illustrate what remains to be
described.
The mouth of the Lukuga, which was about 2500
yards wide, narrowed after a mile to 800 yards, and after
another mile to 400 or 500 yards. Upon rounding the
point of land on which Mkampemba stands, and where
there is a considerable tract under tillage, I observed
that the water changed its colour to a reddish brown,
owing to the ferruginous conglomerate of which the
low bluffs on either side are composed. This was also
a proof to me that there was no outflowiug river here.
Clear water outflowing from tbe Tanganika, only two
miles from the lake, ought never to be so deeply dis-
coloured.
As we proceeded on, the chief told us to stop, and
threw a stick into the water, asking us to note how,
despite the ripple and wind i'rom lakeward, the stick
and the water-bubbles persisted in struggling against
them towards the lake. His face was triumphant as
he thought he had completely proved one part of his
statement, that water came into the lake. It only re-
mained now, as he thought, to prove that water flowed
out towards the west.
Wherever there were indentations in the bluffs that
banked it in, or a dip in the low grass-covered del)ris
l)eneath, a growth of Matete or water-cane and papyrus
filled up these bits of still water, but mid-channel was
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Digitized
byG00gl(
"^te"
^^^^^^£^^iMl^^^
3^r*^^^^gC M ^^^jS^
_^m ^vv^^^^v^^r^^L "^vi-
ff X^m?^
^
s^
" T^^^^^^^
^ \ ^i^^^M^
\ M^^^^^P
KarpofiK. \ "^^^^^^S^**!^
LUKTJGA CHEEK \ "^
^Lm^K
^ \ MWm
H.M. STANLEY. \ aH^
\
Harper fc Brothers Kev/York.
Digitized by CjOOQIC
AMONG THE PAFTEU8. 47
clear and maintained a breadth of open white water i876.
ranging from 90 to 450 yards. ["J^^J^
Within an hour we arrived at the extremity of the
open water, which had gradually been narrowed in
width, by the increasing abundance of papyrus, from
250 yards to 40 yards. We ceased rowing, and
gently glided up to the barrier of papyrus, which had
now completely closed up the creek from bank to bank,
like a luxuriant field of tall Indian com. We sounded
at the base of these reeds along a breadth of 40 yards,
and obtained from 7 to 11 feet of water ! With
a portable level I attempted to ascertain a current;
the level indicated none ! Into a little pool, com-
pletely sheltered by the broadside of the boat, we threw
a chip or two, and some sticks. In five minutes the
chips had moved towards the reeds about a foot!
We then crushed our way through about twenty yards
of the papyrus, and came to impassable mud-banks, black
as pitch, and seething with animal life. Returning to
the boat, I asked four men to stand close together, and,
mounting their shoulders with an oar for support, I
endeavoured with a glass to obtain a general view. I
saw a broad belt some 250 or 300 yards wide of a
papyrus-grown depression, lying east and west between
gently sloping banks, thinly covered with scrubby
acacia. Here and there were pools of open water,
and beyond were a few trees growing, as it seemed to
me, right in the bed. I caused some of my men to
attempt to cross from one bank to the other, but the
muddy ooze was not suflSciently firm to bear the weight
of a man.
I then cut a disc of wood a foot in diameter, drove a
nail in, and folded cotton under its head. I then rove
a cord 5 feet in length through this, suspending to
one end an earthenware pot, with which I tried an ex-
periment. Along the hedge of papyrus I measured 1000
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Lnkuga.
48 THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1876. feet with a tape line, both ends of the track marked by
T°v«l! ^ hroad riband of sheeting tied to a papyrus reed.
Then, proceeding to the eastern or lake end of the track,
I dropped the earthenware pot, which, after filling, sank
and drew the wooden disc level with the water. I
noted the chronometer instantly, while the boat was
rowed away from the scene. The wind from the lake
blew strong at the time.
The board floated from lakeward towards the pa-
pyrus 822 feet in one hour and forty seconds.
In the afternoon, wind calm and water tranquil, the
disc floated in the opposite direction, or towards the lake,
159 feet in nineteen minutes and thirty seconds, which
is at the rate of about 600 feet in the hour.
This was of itself conclusive proof that there was
no current at this date (July 16, 1876). Still I was
curious to see the river flowing out. The next day,
therefore, accompanied by the chief and fifteen men of
the Expedition, we started overland along the banks of
this rush- and mud-choked depression for three or four
miles. The trend of the several streams we passed was
from north-west to south-east — that is, towards the lake.
At Elwani village we came to the road from Monyi's,
which is used by people proceeding to Unguvwa,
Luwelezi, or Marungu on the other side of the Lukuga.
Two men from the village accompanied us to the Lukuga
ford. When we reached the foot of the hill, we first
came to the dry bed of the Kibamba. In the rainy
season this stream drains the eastern slopes of the Ky-
yanja ridge with a south-east trend. The grass stalks,
still lying down from the force of the water, lay with
their tops pointing lakeward.
From the dry mud-bed of the Kibamba to the cane-
grass-choked bed of Lukuga was but a step. During the
wet season the Kibamba evidently overflowed broadly,
and made its way among the matete of the Lukuga.
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THE ^^MITWANZI" OB BEED7 BARRIER. 49
We tramped on along a path leading over prostrate i876.
reeds and cane, and came at length to where the ground ^^^J ^^'
began to be moist. The reeds on either side of it rose
to the height of 10 or 12 feet, their tops interlacing,
and the stalks, therefore, forming the sides of a narrow
tminel. The path sank here and there into ditcli-like
hollows tilled with cool water from 9 inches to 3 feet
deep, with transverse dykes of mud raised above it at
intervals.
Finally, after proceeding some two hundred yards,
we came to the centre of this reed-covered depression —
called by the natives ** Mitwanzi '* — and here the chief,
trampling a wider space among the reeds, pointed out
in triumph water indisputably flowing westward I
The water felt cold, but it was only 68"^ Fahr. or 7^
cooler than the Lukuga. I crossed over to the opposite
or southern bank, on the shoulders of two of my men.
The bed was uneven; sometimes the men rose until the
water was barely over their ankles, then again they sank
to their hips. The trees I had noticed from the open
creek stood on a point projecting from the southern
bank across the Mitwanzi, but they were now dead, as
the former dry tract had become quaggy. The name
Lukuga clings to the bed until a few miles west of
Miketo's, when it becomes known as the Luindi,
Ruindi, or Luimbi.
The Mitwanzi is still daily traversed without trouble
oy men, women, and children.
We travelled another three miles along the Mitwanzi,
until we came to the southern end of the Ki-yanja
ridge, for it is through the gap between this and the
Kihunga ridge, which terminates on the south bank,
that the Lukuga flows toward the west. Even here
it was but a trivial stream, oozing and trickling through
a cane-grass grove.
The most interesting object here was the rounded
VOL. n. — 4
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Lttkaga.
50 TEROUOE THE DAHK CONTINENT.
1876. eud of the Ki-yanja ridge, sloping at an angle of 30®.
I «k»ll! ^® *^® highest point is probably between 600 and 1000
feet, there has been some agency at work to wear down
this gap through the ferruginous conglomerate and soft
sandstone — and some agency stronger than this trivial
stream smothered in reeds, for it has no force or power.
We got back to Lumba Creek, where we had left our
boat and canoe, late at night. The next day was
devoted to sounding the creek from the Mitwanzi to
the outer bar.
The next morning I took a trip to the top of the
conical hill behind Mkampembn, a village of Kawe-
Niangeh, to lay out and take bearings.
I am of the opinion, after taking all things into
consideration, that Kahangwa Cape was, at a remote
period, connected with Kungw^ Cape on the east coast
— that the Lukuga was the affluent of the lake as it
stood then, that the lake was at that period at a much
higher altitude than it is at present, that the northern
half of the lake is of a later formation, and that, owing
to the subsideiice of that portion, and the collapsing of
the barrier or the Kahangwa Cape and Kungw^ Cape
ridge, the waters south emptied into that of the deep
gulf north, and left the channel of the Lukuga to be
employed as the bed of the affluents Kibamba and
Lumba, or the eastern slope of the Ki-yanja ridge, to
feed the lake. But now that the extension of the pro-
found bed — created by some great earthquake, which
fractured and disparted the plateau of Uhha, Urundi,
Ubembe, Goma, &c. — is on the eve of being filled up,
the ancient affluent is about to resume its old duties
of conveying the surplus waters of the Tanganika down
into the valley of the Livingstone, and thence, along its
majestic winding course, to the Atlantic Ocean.
I say this after having circumnavigated the lake
and examined it most thoroughly. Underground
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THE TANQANIKA AND ITS DESTINY. 51
caverns are myths, the fables of Wangwana and i87«.
superstitious natives. The great deep lengthy canon ^^J^^'
occupied by the fathomless lake is not closed iu by
rocks of such a nature as to admit of the theory of
underground passages. It is rimmed by mountains
and hills — the least altitude is 600 feet, the highest
4000 feet, above the lake. But to those seeking an
elucidation of the fact that an enormous fresh-water
lake is without an outflowing river, are presented as
rational solutions the stream-worn gap in the con-
glomerate of the ridges Kihunga and Kiyanja, the
wave-washed rocks and boulders of Mpembw^ and all
along the eastern coast down to Urungu, the bare
headlands of Tembw^, and the naked steeps and cliffs
of Kungw^ and Karinzi. It is an undeniable fact
that if the evaporation from a body of water be
greater than the supply, that water must necessarily
become saline from the particles washed into it from
salt-beds and salinas. It is also as undeniable that,
if the supply to a body of water be greater than its
evaporation, the quantity of the water must be in-
creased until the receptacle — whether pool, pond, or
lake — overflows and obtains an outlet.
In the instance of the Tanganika we have a fresh-
water lake, which — according to the evidence of
native Arabs and the observation of several tra-
vellers—is steadily rising. We have also seen in the
Lukuga the first symptoms of that overflowing which
must come. At present there are only a few inches
of mud-banks and a frail barrier of papyrus and reeds
to interpose between the waters of the lake and its
destiny, which it is now, year by year, steadily
approaching. When the Tanganika has risen 3 feet
higher, there will be no surf at the mouth of the
Lukuga, no sill of sand, no oozing mud-banks, no rush-
covered old river-course, but the accumulated waters
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52
THROUGH THE DABK CONTINENT.
1876.
July 21.
Kaseng^
of over a hundred rivers will sweep through the ancient
gap with the force of a cataclysm bearing away on its
flood all the deposits of organic debris at present in
the Lukuga Creek, down the steep incline to swell the
tribute due to the mighty Livingstone.
On the 21st July we sailed from the mouth of the
future outlet Lukuga, by Cape Kahangwa, to the Arab
crossing-place near Kaseng^ Island.
The Waguha, along whose country we had voyaged
south since leaving Tembwe, are an unusually ceremo-
DBUJW& AND UGUUA HBAD-DBKSSb
UGUHA HEAD-DRESS.
riious people. They are the first specimens of those
nations among whom we are destined to travel in our
exploration of the western regions.
The art of the coiffeur is better known here than in any
portion of Africa east of Lake Tanganika. The ^* water-
fall " and ** back-hair " styles are superb, and the con-
structions are fastened with carved wooden or iron pins.
Full dress includes a semicircle of finely plaited hair
over the forehead painted red, ears well ochred, the rest
of the hair drawn up taut at the back of the head, over-
laid and secured by a cross-shaped flat board, or with a
skeleton crown of iron ; the head is then covered with
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SALUTATIONS IN UGUIIA.
53
a neatly tasselled and plaited grass cloth, like a lady's i876.
breakfast-cap, to protect it from dust. In order to -^^^y^^-
protect such an elaborate construction from being dis- ^^^
A WOAIAN OF UGUHA.
UIITEYA HEAD-DRESS.
ordered, they carry a small head-rest of wood stuck in
the girdle.
Their mode of salutation is as follows : —
A man appears before a party seated : he bends,
takes up a handful of earth or sand with his right
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Kaseng^.
54 TEROUQH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1876. hand, and throws a Htde into his left — the left hand
1™!!* ^^^ ^^^ ®^^^ ^^ earth over the right elbow and the
right side of the stomach, while the right hand performs
the same operation for the left parts of the body, the
mouth meanwhile uttering rapidly words of saluta-
tion. To his inferiors, however, the new-comer slaps
his hand several times, and after each slap lightly taps
the region of his heart.
Kaseng^ Island is a small island with a grassy cone
rising from its centre. It is well-cultivated, and grows
papaws, pomegranates, lemons, and sweet limes, having
been favoured for a long period by Arabs, when their
intercourse with the western regions was but beginning.
Between the lately severed promontory of Katenga,
in Goma, which is now a large island, and Mtowa, the
southern end of the bay, there is quite a cluster of islets,
of which the largest are Kirindi, Kivizi, and Kavala.
When we have passed the northern point of Katenga
Island we behold the Goma mountains in an apparently
unbroken range of vast height and excessive steep-
ness, and lengths of steep and cliffy slope. But as we
sail on to the northward, we observe that from Katenga
we saw only the profile or the shoulders of great lofty
spurs. Behind almost all of these ate beautiful secluded
inlets and bays, overshadowed by black-bearded moun-
tains, which give birth to myriads of clear crystal streams.
Deep chasms in their huge fronts are filled with forests
of enormous trees, out of which the famous Goma
canoes are cut. Through every gap in the range roars
and tumbles a clear cold stream, and piled up behind
arc the loftiest alps of Goma. The eye cannot fail to
be struck with the contrast between the serene blue of
the sky, the gloom of the chasm, and the dark tops
of the tree-crested ranges. The margins of these
calm havens are lined with green water-cane and eschi-
nomenae, to which hundreds of yellow-breasted birds
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"" MOUNTAINS DISSOLVING IN TEABSr 55
have suspended their nests, where the industrious little i876.
creatures may be seen in flocks together, clinging belly ^^^ ^^*
upward, or flying up and down, ever chirping their mu^
wheedling, persuasive song. On a firm bough extended
over the wave sits the glossy and sleek diver, con-
tented, sated with his finny prey, or, perched upon the
tall branch of some towering sycamore or teak, may
be seen the white-collared fish-eagle, uttering at in-
tervals his weird shrill call to his mate — a despairing,
wailing cry. Presently, from some distant tree, at a
commanding height, is heard the response, in the same
doleful strain.
But i'rom Katenga, as far as the Bald Mount, near
Mugolwe, the crests of the ridges are tawny and tree-
less. From Tanga to Mdanga Cape, gaps and chasms,
inlets and bays, like those above described are nume-
rous, and between Kabogo River and Missossi Mount
there is a bay with five separate streams, descending
from heights of 2000 feet in long silvery threads to the
lake. The mountains seem to be dissolving in tears,
for through every ravine or cleft or gap, chasm or
rift, streams roll with impetuous course to the lake.
Wherever foothold is obtained on a square-browed
hill, terrace, or slope, cultivated fields and villages are
seen, while on either side of them the cliffs drop sheer
to profound depths.
The topmost height of Mount Missossi is about
3000 feet above the lake. As the lake is very wide
between Goma and Ujiji— about forty miles — the waves
rise very suddenly and drive in long billowy ridges
against the massive and firm base of the mount, and
when the south-easters prevail, the gale has command of
sixty miles of clear water from Kabogo Cape. Navi-
gation in canoes, while the wind is rising, is very
dangerous.
We left Kabogo River's safe haven about 7 p.m..
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56 THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
and at nine were pulling by Missossi Mount, exposed to
a rising gale of great power about half a mile oflF a lee
shore. To avoid being swept on the rocks, which were
all afoam, we had to row direct eastward, and to handle
both boat and canoe very delicately to avoid foundering.
For two hours we laboured hard to get a mile to wind-
ward and then, hoisting sail, we flew northward, just
grazing the dreadful rocks of Mdanga Cape.
Nature, as already seen, has been in most frantic
moods along the western coast of the Tanganika, but
in Goma, where she has been most wanton, she has
veiled herself with a graceful luxuriance of vegetation.
Where the mountains are steepest and highest, and
where their springs have channelled deepest, there the
pillared mvule and meofu flourish most and attain their
greatest height, and in loving fellowship they spread
themselves up opposing slopes and follow the course of
the stream in broad belts on either side down to the
edge of the lake. Underneath their umbrageous foliage
grows a tropical density of bush and plant, meshed and
tangled, and of such variety that to class or specify them
would require the labour and lifetime of an accomplished
botanist.
As we look towards the lofty heights of Northern
Goma we observe that they have a grassy pastoral
aspect. We turn our eyes south to catch a farewell
glimpse of those refreshing views- which we had ad-
mired, and wo see that distance has already trans-
formed them into a long blue hazy outline.
We sailed all day within a stone's-throw of the
shore of Goma, and in the evening put in at Kaganza,
just north of Kiringi Point.
On the 25th, on leaving Kaganza, we bade farewell
to Goma, whose bare majestic front, as we continued
north, was terminated by the low rounded hills of
Kavunweh, and then, steering north-east, we skirted a
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THE SPIRIT ISLAND.
57
low grassy land whose highest ridge was only 200 feet
above the lake. This was once the isthmus which con-
nected the promontory of Ubwari and Karamba with the
mainland. It is seven miles across to the gulf which sepa-
rates Ubwari promontory from Ubembe and Usansi.
Burton describes Ubwari thus : —
" It is the only island near the centre of the Tanganika, a long narrow
lump of rock, twenty to twenty-five geographical miles long, by four or
five of extreme breadth."
Livingstone calls it in his *Last Journals' the islet
1876. •
July 26.
Ubwari.
THE SPIBIT IbLAND.
Mozima, and in ' How I Found Livingstone ' I called it
the island Muzimu.
The end of the isthmus is distinguished by two or
three palms, which served us as a landmark when we
had voyaged round into the gulf of the western side.
It is also indented with two or three deep bays.
Near Karamba Cape, south latitude 4° 29', the land
again rises into a ridge about 1500 feet above the lake,
and runs north from the southern cape to Panza Point,
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58 TEROUQH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1876. a distance of twenty-seven miles. Some very fine moun-
Juijr 27. ^,^jj^ scenes are presented here also, but after stupendous
Goraa they appear almost tame and commonplace.
Near the little round island of Muzimu, or the Spirit,
we made a very comfortable camp near a fine gravel
beach. The photograph of the Spirit Island given on
page 57 suffices for description.
The Wabwari are by no means a handsome race : nor
indeed are the Wavirn, Wagoma, or Waberabe (canni-
bals) ; but they aie all industrious tribes, and the Wa-
bwari, though somewhat ready to take offence, are very
much liked by all. They cultivate an enormous quantity
of cassava, or manioc, and at this season the flat rocks
were strewn with the sliced root. Dried whitebait is
another article of commerce, and bags of millet are
exchanged with the Warundi on the other side for
palm-oil and butter, and with the Wajiji for cloth and
beads.
On the 27th we rounded Panza Point, and skirted the
much-indented western side of Ubwari, until we reached
the extreme southern reach of Burton Gulf.* At even-
ing we camped in a tiny creek, near a grassy ridge,
undisturbed. In the morning I ascended the ridge,
and took bearings of Missossi Mount, Kiringi Cape,
Karamba Cape, and by aid of the palms on the isthmus
was able to identify tlie position. We rested until noon,
and obtained south latitude 4^ 22'. As Panza Point, tho
north en^l of Ubwari, is in south latitude 4P 2', the
length of Burton Gulf is twenty miles, by from five to
seven miles in width.
Then coasting along the south end of Burton Gulf,
we came to Masansi, which begins on the west side,
and near each large village lowered our sail and en-
quired the names of the various rivers, villages, points,
* So named after Captain Bichard Francis Burton, the commander of
the Burton and Speke Expedition^ which first discovered Lake Tanganika.
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EXCITABLE AB0BI0JNE8. 59
and countries. On coming near a viHage on tha west i876.
bank of the Kasansagara river, we were forewarned «.J^'
of a rude reception. Approaching nearer, we were
warned away by the Wabembe, who are most inimical
to strangers. Wishing to test how far this hostile
spirit would proceed, we continued to advance upon
the shore. From wild gesture, such as striking the
ground with their spears, beating the water, and
frantic hopping up and down, they took to throwing
stones of such large size as might well be termed
dangerous missiles. Motioning a lialt, we calmly sur-
veyed the natives, watched the rocks fly through the
air, and making deep pits in the water, as though we
were simply looking on at an entertainment specially
got up for our amusement Not a word, gesture, or
movement on our part indicated either resentment or
pleasure, until the natives ceased their furious demon-
strations. Para was then told to inform them that we
would have nothing to say to such wild people, who at
sight of strangers showed such foolish fury.
We turned away without another word, resumed our
journey, and in an hour were abreast of Kiunyu, the
village of the chief Mahonga. We spoke to them :
they mocked us. We asked them if they would sell us
some grain, but they replied that they were not our
slaves, and that they had not sowed the land with grain
to sell it to us. We pulled away from them without
another word. The silly people cried out that we were
running away, and at once launched about a dozen
canoes and followed us. Encouraged by the infuriates
and mockers on the shore, as also by our pacific be-
haviour, they became excited to a dangerous state, and
gesticulated with their arrows and spears. Owing to
the ferocious spirit of the people, we had to seek a
camp among the reeds and papyrus in the delta of the
Mtambara river, where, though troubled with mosqui-
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60 THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1876. toes, we slept undisturbed by the insensate ferocity of
Wn!J^ the Wabembe cannibals.
On the 28th we skirted the low land which lies at
the foot of the western mountains, and by noon had
arrived at the little cove in Masansi, near the Rubumba
or the Luvumba river, at which Livingstone and I
terminated our exploration of the northern shores of
Lake Tanganika in 1871. I had thus circumnavigated
Lake Tanganika from Ujiji up the eastern coast, along
the northern head, and down the western coast as far as
Rubumba river in 1871, and in June-July 1876 had
sailed south from Ujiji along the eastern coast to the
extreme south end of the lake, round each inlet of the
south, and up the western coast to Panza Point, in
Ubwari, round the shores of Burton Gulf, and to
Rubumba river. The north end of the lake was
located by Livingstone in south latitude 3° 18'; the
extreme south end I discovered to be in south latitude
8° 47', which gives it a length of 329 geographical
miles. Its breadth varies from ten to forty-five miles,
averaging about twenty-eight miles, and its superficial
area covers a space of 9240 square miles.
On the 29th we crossed over from our haven near
Muzimu Island, on the east side of Ubwari, to Kioga,
in Urundi, where we were welcomed by our old friend
Kinoza, the chief.
In mid-lake, I sounded, using a 3|-lb. sounding-lead
with 1280 feet of cord, and found no bottom. I de-
voted an hour to this work, and tried a second time a
mile nearer the Urundi coast, with the same results —
no bottom. The strain at such a great depth on the
whip-cord was enormous, but we met with no accident.
On the 31st we arrived at Ujiji, after an absence of
fifty-one days, during which time we had sailed without
disaster or illness a distance of over 810 miles. The
entire coast line of the Tano^anika is about 930 miles
*qv
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WELCOMED TO CAMP, 61
CHAPTER Iir.
Back in camp — An epidemic of small-pox — Panic of desertion—
Ealnln's disloyally — Liyingstone's lenience — Imaginary terrors—
Hoirdressing ad absurdum — Bnanga's opinion of white men — A
Tillage sketch — The villagers of IJhombo — In puris naiurafibus —
A tonch of hnman' natnre — On liTingstone's traces — What is
there in feathers? — The Manyema: their life and manners — Our
ass astonishes the natives — Bloodless wars — Nicknames — A tribe
with beards bnt no wives — The confluence of the Luama and the
Livingstone.
The sky was of a stainless blue, and the slumbering i876.
lake faithfully reflected its exquisite tint, for not a ^fj.^^
breath of wind was astir to vex its surface. With
groves of palms and the evergreen fig-trees on either
hand, and before us a fringe of tall cane-grass along
the shores all juicy with verdure, the square tembes of
Ugoy, and the conical cotes of Kaweld, embowered by
banana and plantain, we emerged into the bay of
Djiji from the channel of Bangw^.
The cheery view of the port lent strength to our
arms. An animating boat-song was struck up, the
sounds of which, carried far on the shore, announced
that a proud, joyous crew was returning homeward.
Long-horned cattle are being driven to the water to
drink ; asses are galloping about, braying furiously ;
goats and sheep and dogs are wandering in the
market-place — many familiar scenes recur to us as we
press forward to the shore.
Our Wangwana hurry to the beach to welcome
us. The usual congratulations follow — hand-shakings,
smiles, and glad expressions. Frank, however, is pale
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62 THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1876. and sickly ; a muffler is round his neck, and he
Aognrt. ^gg^^g 2k greatcoat. He looks very different from the
^ strong, hearty man to whom I gave tlie charge of
the camp during my absence. In a few words he
informs me of his sufferings from the fever of Ujiji.
** I am so glad you have come, sir. I was beginning
to feel very depressed. I have been down several
times with severe attacks of the horrible fever. Yester-
day is the first time I got up after seven days' weary
illness, and people are dying round me so fast that I
was beginning to think I must soon die too. Now I
am all right, and shall soon get strong again."
The news, when told to me in detail, was grievous.
Five of our Wangwana were dead from small-pox;
six others were seriously ill from the same cause.
Among the Arab slaves, neither inoculated nor vac-
cinated, the mortality had been excessive from this
fearful pest.
At Rosako, the second camp from Bagamoyo, I had
foreseen some such event as this, and had vaccinated,
as I had thought, all hands ; but it transpired, on in-
quiry now, that there were several who had not re-
sponded to the call, through some silly prejudice against
it. Five of those unvaccinated were dead, and five
were ill, as also was one who had received the vaccine.
When I examined the medicine-chest, I found the tubes
broken and the lymph dried up.
The Arabs were dismayed at the pest and its dreadful
havoc among their families and slaves. Every house was
full of mourning and woe. There were no more agree-
able visits and social converse ; each kept himself in
strict seclusion, fearful of being stricken with it. Khamis
the Baluch was dead, his house was closed, and his
friends were sorrowing. Mohammed bin Gharib had lost
two children ; Muini Kheri was lamenting the deaths
of three children. The mortality was increasing: it
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N
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A PANIC OF DESERTION. 63
was now from fifty to seventy-five daily among a isro.
population of about three thousand. Bitter were the ^°?!?^^*'
complainings against the hot season and close atmo-
sphere, and fervent the prayers for rain !
Frank had been assiduous in his assistance to our
friends. He had elevated himself in their opinion by
his devotion and sympathy, until sickness had laid
its heavy hand on him. The Wangwana were now
his sincere admirers, and the chiefs were his friends.
Formerly, while ignorant of the language, he and they
were, perhaps of neces?sity, mutually distant ; they now
fraternized warmly.
Our messengers had not returned with our letters
from Unyanyemb^, but, to escape the eflfects of the
epidemic, it was necessary to move and resume our
journey westward. The Wangwana were therefore
ordered to prepare, and my last letters were written ;
but, though I hoped to be ready on the 17th to strike
camp, I was attacked by a serious fever. This delayed
me until the evening of the 25th.
When, on the morning of the 25th August, the
drum and bugle announced that our travels were
to be resumed, I had cause to congratulate myself
that I had foreseen that many desertions would take
place, and that I was prepared in a measure for it by
having discarded many superfluities. But I was not
prepared to hear that thirty-eight men had deserted.
Thirty-eight out of 170 was a serious reduction of
stren^h. I was also told by the chiefs of the Expedi-
tion, who were almost beside themselves with fear, that
this wholesale desertion threatened an entire and com-
plete dissolution of our force, that many more would
desert en route to Kabogo, as the people were de-
moralized by the prospect of being eaten by Manyema
cannibals. As neither Frank nor I relished the idea
of being compelled to return to Zanzibar before we had
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1876. obtained
Aairast 25. .^^ «,»,,,
^ many
'^^' of these,
as
64 fHBOUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
a view of the Lualaba, I mustered as
would answer to their names; and out
selecting such as appeared unstable and
flighty, I secured thirty-two, and surrounded our house
with guards.
After preparing the canoes and getting the boat ready,
those who did not bear a good character for firmness and
fidelity were conducted under guard to the transport
'^^
M6EHAZY HAVEN AND CAMP, AT THE MOUTH OF M SEHAZT BIVEB.
canoes* the firm and faithful, and those believed to be
so, were permitted to march on land with myself to-
wards Kabogo Cape, or M'sehazy Creek, whence the
crossing of the Tanganika was to be effected. Out of
the 132 men, of whom the Expedition now consisted,
only thirty were entrusted with guns, as my faith in
the stability of the Wangwana was utterly destroyed,
despite their protestations to the contrary. I could
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KALULU BUNS AWAY. 65
afford to lose weak, fearful, and unworthy men ; but I i876.
could not afford to lose one gun. Though we had such ^"^^""^
a show of strength left, I was only too conscious that ^^ **
there were barely forty reliable and effective in a crisis,
or in the presence of danger; the rest were merely
useful as bearers of burdens, or porters.
When we resumed our journey the second day from
Ukaranga, three more were missing, which swelled the
number of desertions to forty-one, and reduced our
force to 129. After we had crossed the Tanganika
and arrived in XJguha, two more disappeared, one of
whom was young Kalulu, whom I had taken to
Jtlngland and the United States, and whom I had placed
i»i an English school for eighteen months.
Induced to do so by the hope that I should secure their
attachment to the cause of the Expedition, I had pur-
chased from Sultan Bin Kassim six bales of cloth at an
enormous price, £350, and had distributed them all
among the people gratuitously. This wholesale deser-
tion at the very period when their services were about to
be most needed was my reward ! The desertion and faith-
less conduct of Kalulu did not, as may be imagined,
augment my hopes, or increase my faith in the fidelity
of my people. But it determined me to recover some
of the deserters. Francis Pocock and the detective of
the Expedition, the ever faithful and gallant Kacheche,
were therefore sent back with a squad to Ujiji, with
instructions how to act ; and one night Kacheche
pounced upon six fellows, who, after a hard and
tough resistance, were secured ; and after his return
to Uguha with these he successfully recovered the
runaway Kalulu on Kasengd Island. These seven,
along with a few others arrested in the act of desertion,
received merited punishments, which put an end to
misconduct and faithlessness, and prevented the wreck
of the Expedition.
VOL. n. — 5
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66 THROUGH THE DABK CONTINENT.
1876. It must not be supposed that I was more unfortunate
September. ^^^ other travellers ; for to the faithlessness of his
^ ** people may be attributed principally the long wander-
ings of poor Livingstone. Cameron also lost a great
number at Unyanyembe, as well as at Ujiji. Experience
had taught me on my first journey to Central Africa
that Wangwana would desert at every opportunity,
especially in the vicinity of the Arab depots. It was to
lessen these opportunities for desertion that I had left
the Unyanyembe road, and struck through Ituru and
Iramba ; and though my losses in men were great from
famine, the ferocity of the natives, and sickness, they
did not amount to half of what they certainly would
have been had I touched at Unyanyembe. By adopting
this route, despite the calamities that we were subjected
to for a short season, I had gained time, and opened
new countries, hitherto unexplored.
Desertion had also been checked by voyaging Lake
Victoria, instead of pursuing our journey by land, and
troubles with Rwoma and the king of Usui had also been
avoided. But when we received a check at the Muta
Nzige, it became necessary to visit Ujiji, and the long-
sought-for opportunity to desert was thus presented to
the disaffected, and those who had enlisted only for the
&ake of the advance-money given to them at Zanzibar.
Among these cunning ones was Msenna, the terror of
Zanzibar and the coast. He was renowned as a mur-
derer, robber, and ruflSan when he took service with
me. This man was among the deserters at Ujiji.
Unless the traveller in Africa exerts himself to keep
his force intact, he cannot hope to perform satisfactory
service. If he relaxes his watchfulness, it is instantly
taken advantage of by the weak-minded and the indo-
lent. Livingstone lost at least six years of time, and
finally his life, by permitting his people to desert. If
a follower left his service, he even permitted him to
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FABULOUS TERRORS. 67
remain in the same village with him, without attempting i876.
to reclaim him, or to compel that service which he had ^*p**^™**«'-
bound himself to render at Zanzibar. The consequence ^ *"
of this excessive mildness was that he was left at last
with only seven men, out of nearly seventy. His noble
character has won from us a tribute of affection and
esteem, but it has had no lasting good effect on the
African. At the same time over-severity is as bad
as over-gentleness in dealing with these men. What
is required is pure, simple justice between man and
man.
The general infidelity and instability of the Wa-
ngwana arises, in great part, from their weak minds
becoming a prey to terror of imaginary dangers. Thus,
the Johanna men deserted Livingstone because they
heard the terrible Mafitt^ were in the way ; my run-
aways of Ujiji fled from the danger of being eaten by
the Manyema.
The slaves of Sungoro, the coast trader at Kagehyi,
Usukuma, informed my people that Lake Victoria
spread as far as the Salt Sea, that it had no end, and
that the people on its shores loved the flesh of man
better than that of goats. This foolish report made it
a most difficult matter to man the exploring boat, and
over a hundred swore by Allah that they knew nothing
of rowing.
A similar scene took place when about to circum-
navigate the Tanganika, for the Arab slaves had spread
such reports of Muzimus, hobgoblins, fiery meteors,
terrible spirits, such as Kabogo, Katavi, Kateyd, and
WanpemW, that the teeth of Wanyamwezi and Wa-
ngwana chattered with fright. But no reports exercised
such a terrible effect on their weak minds as the report
of the Manyema cannibals, none were so greedily
listened to, none more readily believed.
The path which traders and their caravans follow
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68 TEROUQB THE DARK CONTINENT.
1876. to Manyema begins at Mtowa, in Uguha, and, continu-
eptember. j^^ gQuth a few miles over a series of hills, descends into
the plain of the Riigumba river about half-way between
the Lukuga river and the traders' crossing-place.
The conduct of the first natives to whom we were
introduced pleased us all. They showed themselves in
a very amiable light, sold their corn cheaply and with-
out fuss, behaved themselves decently and with pro-
priety, though their principal men entertaining very
strange ideas of the white men, carefully concealed
themselves from view, and refused to be tempted to
expose themselves within view or hearing of us.
Their doubts of our character were reported to us by
a friendly young Arab as follows : " Kassanga, chief of
Ruanda, says, * How can the white men be good when
they come for no trade, whose feet one never sees, who
always go covered from head to foot with clothes? Do
not tell me they are good and friendly. There is some-
thing very mysterious about them; perhaps wicked.
Probably they are magicians ; at any rate, it is better
to leave them alone, and to keep close until they are
gone.* "
From Ruanda, where we halted only for a day, we
began in earnest the journey to Manyema, thankful
that the Tanganika was safely crossed, and that the
Expedition had lost no more of its strength.
On the third day, after gradually ascending to a
height of 800 feet above the lake, across a series of
low hilly ridges and scantily wooded valleys, which
abound with buffalo, we reached the crest of a range
which divides the tributaries of the Lualaba from those
of Lake Tanganika. This range also serves as a
boundary between Uguha and Ubujwe, a country
adjoining the former north-westerly. The western
portion of Uguha, and south-eastern Ubujwe, is re-
markable for its forests of fruit-trees, of which there
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EAIR-BRESSING AD ABSURDUM. 69
are several varieties, called the Masuku, Mbembu i876.
(or wood-apple), Singwe (wild African damson), the ^''i^'''"||'''^"
Matonga (or nux-vomica), custard-apple, &c. A large
quantity of honey was also obtained. Indeed, an array
might subsist for many weeks in this forest on the
various luscious fruits it contains. Our people feasted
on them, as also on the honey and buffalo meat, which
I was fortunate in obtaining.
Our acquaintance with the Wabujwe commenced at
Larabo, or Mulolwa's, situated at the confluence of the
Rugumba with the Rubumba. In these people we first
saw the mild, amiable, unsophisticated innocence of this
part of Central Africa, and their behaviour was exactly
NATIVES OP UBUJWfc.
the reverse of the wild, ferocious, cannibalistic races
the Arabs had described to us.
From our experience of them, the natives of Rua,
Uguha, and Ubujwe appear to be the elite of the hair-
dressed fashionables of Africa. Hair-dressing is indeed
carried to an absurd perfection throughout all this
region, and among the various styles I have seen,
some are surpassing in taste and neatness, and almost
pathetic from the carefulness with which poor wild
nature has done its best to decorate itself.
The Waguha and Wabujwe, among other cha-
racteristics, are very partial to the arts of sculpture and
turning. They carve statues in wood, which they
set up in their villages. Their house doors often
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70 THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1876. exhibit carvings resembling the human face ; and the
September. ^j.g^g in the forest between the two countries fre-
quently present specimens of their ingenuity in this
art. Some have also been seen to wear wooden medals,
whereon a rough caricature of a man's features was
represented. At every village in Ubujwe excellent
wooden bowls and basins of a very light wood (Ru-
biaceae), painted red, are offered for sale.
Between Kwaniwa's village, Lambo, and Kundi, we
came to a hot stream issuing from a spring, buried amid
a mass of spear-grass and dwarf papyrus. At the
crossing the temperature was 106^ Fahr., about twenty
yards above it was 115° Fahr. Those at Bath, in Eng-
land, are from 1 17° to 120° Fahr. ; at Ursprung, Baden,
1 53^° Fahr. These hot springs at Kwaniwa's contain
considemble iron in solution, judging from the ferru-
ginous slime below and the ochreous tint which rests
on the plants and grass.
Beyond Kundi our journey lay across chains of
hills, of a -conical or rounded form, which enclosed
many basins or valleys. While the Rugumba, or Ru-
bumba, flows north-westerly to
the east of Kundi, as far as
Kizambala on the Luama river,
we were daily, sometimes hourly,
fording or crossing the tribu-
taries of the Luama.
Adjoining Ubujwe is Uhyeya,
inhabited by a tribe who are
decidedly a scale lower in hu-
manity than their ingenious
neighbours. What little merit
A NATIVE OF UHYEYA. ^^^^Y posscss sccms to havc been
derived from commerce with
the Wabujwe'. The Wahyeya are also partial to ochre,
black paints, and a composition of black mud, which
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THE BASIN OF UHOMBO, 71
they mould into the form of a plate, and attach tp the i876.
back part of the head. Their upper teeth are filed. ^^^^^*^''*
" out of regard to custom/' they say, and not from any
taste for human flesh.
When questioned as to whether it was their custom to
eat of the flesh of people
slain in battle, they were
positive in their denial,
and protested great re-
pugnance to such a diet,
though they eat the flesh
of all animals except that
of dogs.
Simple and dirt-loving
as these poor people were,
they were admirable- for
the readiness with which
they supplied all our
wants, voluntarily offer- ^^^ ^^ ^„^ ^^^^^^ ^^ ^^^
ing themselves, moreover, (back view).
as guides to lead us to
Uvinza, the next country we had to traverse.
Uvinza now seems to be nothing more than a name
of a small district which occupies a small basin of some
few miles square. At a former period it was very
populous, as the many ruined villages we passed through
proved. The slave-traders, when not manfully resisted,
leave broad traces wherever they go.
A very long march from Kagongwe in Uvinza
brought us to the pleasant basin of Uhombo, remark-
able for its fertility, its groves of Guinea-palms, and its
beauty. This basin is about six miles square, but within
this space there is scarcely a two-acre plot of level
ground to be seen. The whole forms a picture of hill-
tops, slopes, valleys, hollows, and intersecting ridges in
happy diversity. Myriads of cool, clear streams course
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October.
Uhumbo.
72 THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1876. through, in time united by the Lnbangi into a pretty-
little river, flowing westerly to the Luama. It was the
most delightful spot that we had seen. As the people
were amiable, and disposed to trade, we had soon an
abundance of palm-butter for cooking, sugar-cane, fine
goats and fat chickens, sweet potatoes, beans, peas, nuts,
and manioc, millet and other grain for flour, ripe
bananas for dessert, plantain and palm wines for
cheer, and an abundance of soft, cool, clear wate>r
to drink I
Subsequently we had many such pleasant experience/^ ;
but as it was the first, it deserves a more detailed
description.
Travellers from Africa have often written about
African villages, yet I am sure few of those at home
have ever comprehended the reality. I now propose to
lay it before them in this sketch of a village in the dis-
trict of TJhombo. The village consists of a number of
low, conical grass huts, ranged round a circular common,
in the centre of which are three or four fig-trees kept
for the double purpose of supplying shade to the com-
munity, and bark-cloth to the chief. The doorways to
the huts are very low, scarcely 30 inches high. The
common fenced round by the grass huts shows plainly
the ochreous colour of the soil, and it is so well trodden
that not a grass blade thrives upon it.
On presenting myself in the common, I attracted out
of doors the owners and ordinary inhabitants of each
hut, until I found myself the centre of quite a promis-
cuous population of naked men, women, children, and
infants. Though I had appeared here for the purpose
of studying the people of Uhombo, and making a treaty
of friendship with the chief, the villagers seemed to
think I had come merely to make a free exhibition of
myself as some natural monstrosity.
I saw before me over a hundred beings of the most
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October.
Uhombo.
MY PRIMITIVE BE0THER8 AND SISTERS. 73
degraded, unpresentable type it is possible to conceive, i876.
and though I knew quite well that some thousands of "
years ago the beginning of this wretched humanity and
myself were one and the same, a sneaking disinclina-
tion to believe it possessed me strongly, and I would
even now willingly subscribe some small amount of
silver money for him who could but assist me to con-
trovert the discreditable fact.
But common-sense tells me not to take into undue
consideration their squalor, their ugliness, or nakedness,
but to gauge their true position among the human race
by taking a view of the cultivated fields and gardens of
Uhombo, and I am compelled to admit that these debased
specimens of humanity only plant and sow such vege-
tables and grain as I myself should cultivate were I
compelled to provide for my own sustenance. I see,
too, that their huts, though of grass, are almost as well
made as the materials will permit, and indeed I have
often slept in worse. Speak with them in their own
dialect of the law of meum and tuum^ and it will soon
appear that they are intelligent enough upon that
point Moreover, the muscles, tissues, and fibres of
their bodies, and all the organs of sight, hearing, smell,
or motion, are as well developed as in us. Only in
taste and judgment, based upon larger experience, in
the power of expression, in morals and intellectual
culture, are we superior.
I strive, therefore, to interest myself in my gross and
rudely shaped brothers and sisters. Almost bursting
into a laugh at the absurdity, I turn towards an
individual whose age marks him out as one to whom
respect is due, and say to him after the common manner
of greeting : —
" My brother, sit you down by me on this mat, and
let us be friendly and sociable ;" and as I say it I thrust
into his wide open hand twenty cowries, the currency
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October
Uhombo.
74 THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1876. of the land. One look at his hand as he extended it
made me think I could carve a better-looking hand out
of a piece of rhinoceros hide.
While speaking I look at his face, which is like an
ngly and extravagant mask, clumsily manufactured
from some strange, dark brown coarse material. The
lips proved the thickness of skin which nature had en-
dowed him with, and by the obstinacy with which they
refused to meet each other the form of the mouth was
but ill-defined, though capacious and garnished with
its full complement of well-preserved teeth.
His nose was so flat that I inquired in a perfectly in-
nocent manner as to the reason for such a feature.
" Ah,** said he, with a sly laugh, ** it is the fault of
my mother, who, when I was young, bound me too
tight to her back.**
His hair had been compelled to obey the capricious
fashion of his country, and was therefore worked up
into furrows and ridges and central cones, bearing a
curious resemblance to the formation of the land around
Uhombo. I wonder if the art grew by perceiving
nature's fashion and mould of his country ?
Descending from the face, which, crude, large-fea-
tured, rough-hewn as it was, bore witness to the pos-
session of much sly humour and a kindly disposition,
my eyes fastened on his naked body. Through the
ochreous daubs I detected strange freaks of pricking
on it, circles and squares and crosses, and traced with
wonder the many hard lines and puckers created by
age, weather, ill-usage, and rude keeping.
His feet were monstrous abortions, with soles as hard
as hoofs, and his legs as high up as the knees were
plastered with successive strata of dirt ; his loin cover
or the queer ** girding tackle ** need not be described.
They were absolutely appalling to good taste, and the
most ragged British beggar or Neapolitan lazzarone is
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October.
Ubombo.
IN PUBIS NATURALIBU8. 75
sumptuously, nay, regally, clothed in comparison to this i876.
** king ** in Uhombo. -
If the old chief appeared so unprepossessing, how
can I paint without offence my humbler brothers and
sisters who stood round us ? As I looked at the array
of faces, I could only comment to myself — ugly —
uglier — ugliest. As I looked at their nude and filthy
bodies, and the enormous dugs which hung down the
bosoms of the women, and the general indecency of
their nakedness, I ejaculated " Fearful ! ** as the sum
total of what I might with propriety say, and what
indeed is suflSciently descriptive.
And what shall I say of the hideous and queer
appendages that they wear about their waists ; the tags
of monkey-skin and bits of gorilla bone, goat horn,
shells, strange tags to stranger tackle? and of the
things around their necks— brain of mice, skin of viper,
** adders fork, and blind worm's sting**? And how
strangely they smell, all these queer man-like creatures
who stand regarding me ! Not silently : on the con-
trary, there is a loud interchange of comments upon
the white's appearance, a manifestation of broad interest
to know whence I come, whither I am going, and what
is my business. And no sooner are the questions asked
than they are replied to by such as pretend to know.
The replies were followed by long-drawn ejaculations
of "Wa-a-a-antu!" (^^Menl") '^Eha-a, and these are
men!"
Now imagine this ! While we whites are loftily dis-
puting among ourselves as to whether the beings before
us are human, here were these creatures actually express-
ing strong doubts as to whether we whites are men !
A dead silence prevailed for a short time, during
which all the females dropped their lower jaws far
down, and then cried out again " Wa-a-a-a-a-antu! "
("Men!") The lower jaws indeed dropped so low
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October.
Uhombo.
76 THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1876. that, when, in a posture of reflection, they put their
hands up to their chins, it really looked as if they had
done so to lift the jaws up to their proper place and
to sustain them there. And in that position they pon-
dered upon the fact that there were men ** white all
over '* in this queer, queer world !
The open mouths gave one a chance to note the
healthy state and ruby colour of the tongues, palates,
and gums, and, above all, the admirable order and
brilliant whiteness of each set of teeth.
** Great events from trivial causes spring " — and while
I was trying to calculate how many Kubaba (measure
of 2 lbs.) of millet-seed would be requisite to fill all
these Dutch-oven mouths, and how many cowries
would be required to pay for such a large quantity
of millet, and wondering at the antics of the juveniles
of the population, whose uncontainable, irrepressible
wonder seemed to find its natural expression in hopping
on one leg, thrusting their right thumbs into their
mouths to repress the rising scream, and slapping the
hinder side of the thighs to express or give emphasis
to what was speechless — while thus engaged, and just
thinking it was time to depart, it happened that one of
the youthful innocents already described, more restless
than his brothers, stumbled across a long heavy pole
which was leaning insecurely against one of the trees.
The pole fell, striking one of my men severely on the
head. And all at once there went up from the women
a genuine and unaffected cry of pity, and their faces
expressed so lively a sense of tender sympathy with
the wounded man that my heart, keener than my
eyes, saw through the disguise of filth, nakedness, and
ochre, the human heart beating for another's suffering,
and I then recognized and hailed them as indeed my
own poor and degraded sisters.
Under the new liorht which had dawned on me.
'o^
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HUMAN IN SPITE OF DIRT. 77
I reflected that I had done some wrong to my dusky istb,
relatives, and that they might have been described ^*;^^*'^*
less harshly, and introduced to the world with less
disdain.
Before I quitted the village, they made me still more
regret my former haughty feelings, for the chief and
his subjects loaded my men with bounties of bananas,
chickens, Indian corn, and malafu (palm-wine), and
escorted me respectfully far beyond the precincts of the
village and their fields, parting from me at last with the
assurance that, should I ever happen to return by their
country, they would endeavour to make my second
visit to Uhombo much more agreeable than my first
had been.
On the 5 th October our march from Uhombo
brought us to the frontier village of Manyema, which
is called Riba-Riba. It is noteworthy as the starting-
point of another order of African architecture. The
conical style of hut is exchanged for the square hut
with more gradually sloping roof, wattled, and some-
times neatly plastered with mud, especially those in
Manyema. Here, too, the thin-bodied and long-limbed
goat, to which we had been accustomed, gave place to
the short-legged, large-bodied, dnd capacious-uddered
variety of Manyema. The grey parrots with crimson
tails here also first began to abound, and the hoarse
growl of the fierce and shy " soko " (gorilla ?) was first
heard.
From the day we cross the watershed that divides
the affluents of the Tanganika from the head waters of
the Luama, there is observed a gradual increase in the
splendour of nature. By slow degrees she exhibits to us,
as we journey westward, her rarest beauties, her wealth
and all the profligacy of her vegetation. In the forests
of Miketo and on the western slopes of the Goma
mountains she scatters with liberal hand her luxuries
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October.
Riba-Riba.
78 THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1876. of fruits, and along the banks of streams we see
revealed the wild profusion of her bounties.
As we increase the distance from the Tanganika, we
find the land disposed in graceful lines and curves:
ridges heave up, separating valley from valley, hills lift
their heads in the midst of the basins, and mountain-
ranges, at greater distances apart, bound wide prospects,
wherein the lesser hill-chains, albeit of dignified pro-
portions, appear but as agreeable diversities of scenery.
Over the whole. Nature has flung a robe of verdure
of the most fervid tints. She has bidden the mountains
loose their streamlets, has commanded the hills and
ridges to bloom, filled the valleys with vegetation breath-
ing perfume, for the rocks she has woven garlands of
creepers, and the stems of trees she has draped with
moss ; and sterility she has banished from her domain.
Yet Nature has not produced a soft, velvety, smil-
ing England in the midst of Africa. Far from it.
She is here too robust and prolific. Her grasses
are coarse, and wound like knives and needles; her
reeds are tough and tall as bamboos ; her creepers and
convolvuli are of cable thickness and length ; her thorns
are hooks of steel ; her trees shoot up to a height of a
hundred feet. We find no pleasure in straying in
search of wild flowers, and game is left undisturbed,
because of the diflBculty of moving about, for once the
main path is left we find ourselves over head amongst
thick, tough, unyielding, lacerating grass.
At Manyema, the beauty of Nature becomes terrible,
and in the expression of her powers she is awful. The
language of Swahili has words to paint her in every
mood. English, rich as it is, is found insufficient. In
the former we have the word Pori for a forest, an ordi-
nary thickly wooded tract, but for the forests of Ma-
nyema it has four special words, Mohuro, Mwitu,
Mtambani, and Msitu. For Mohuro we might employ
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ON LIVINGSTONE'S TRACES. 79
the words jungly forest ; for Mwitu, dense woods ; but i876.
for Msitu and Mtambani we have no single equivalent, ^^***^^-
nor could we express their full meaning without a BambarrA.
series of epithets ending with " tangled jungle '* or " im-
pervious underwood in the midst of a dense forest*' — for
such is in reahty the nature of a Manyema Msitu,
I am of opinion that Manyema owes its fertility to
the mountains west of the Tanganika, which by their
altitude suddenly cool and liquefy the vapours driven
over their tops by the south-east monsoon, for while
Uguha west was robed in green, its lake front was
black with the ashes of burnt grass.
We left Eiba-Riba's old chief, and his numerous
progeny of boys and girls, and his wonderful subjects,
encamped on their mountain-top, and journeyed on with
rapid pace through tall forests, and along the crests
of wooded ridges, down into the depths of gloomy
dingles, and up again to daylight into view of sweeping
circles of bearded ridges and solemn woods, to Ka-
Bambarr^.
Even though thin place had no other associations, it
would be attractive and alluring for its innocent wild-
ness ; but associated as it is with Livingstone's sufferings,
and that self-sacrificing life he led here, I needed only
to hear from Mwana Ngoy, son of Mwana Kusu,*
** Yes, this is the place where the old white man stopped
for many moons," to make up my mind to halt
" Ah ! he lived here, did he ?"
**Yes."
By this time the population of Ka-Bambarr^, seeing
their chief in conversation with the white stranger, had
drawn round us under a palm-tree, and mats were
spread for us to seat ourselves.
" Did you know the old white man ? Was he your
father?"
• Mwana, lord ; Kubvl, parrot.
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ff
80 THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT,
1876. ** He was not my father ; but I knew him well
October. ,, jg^^^ j^ y^^ ^^^^ ^^^^ P„ ^^ ^g^^^ j^jg people. '' He
Bambarrt. says he knew him. Was lie not a good man ?"
" Yes ; very good.*'
** You say well. He was good to me, and he saved
me from the Arabs many a time. The Arabs are hard
men, and often he would step between them and roe
when they were hard on me. He was a good man, and
my children were fond of him. I hear he is dead ?**
" Yes, he is dead."
** Where has he gone to ? **
** Above, my friend,*' said I, pointing to the sky.
" Ah,*' said he breathlessly, and looking up, ** did he
come from above ? "
" No, but good men like him go above when they
die."
We had many conversations about him. The sons
showed me the house he had lived in for a long time
when prevented from further wandering by the ulcers
in his feet. In the village his memory is cherished,
and will be cherished for ever.
It was strange what a sudden improvement in the
physiognomy of the native had occurred. In the
district of Uhombo we had seen a truly debased negro
type. Here we saw people of the Ethiopic negro type,
worthy to rank next the more refined Waganda.
Mwana Ngoy himself was nothing very remarkable.
AgQ had deprived him of his good looks; but there
were about him some exceedingly pretty women, with
winsome ways about them that were quite charming.
Mwana Ngoy, I suppose, is one of the vainest of vain
men. I fancy I can see him now strutting about his
village with his sceptral staflF, an amplitude of grass
cloth about him, which when measured gives exactly
twenty-four square yards, drawn in double folds
about his waist, all tags, tassels, and fringes, and painted
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THE UNIVERSAL CHARM OF FEATHERS.
81
in various colours, bronze and black and white and
yellow, and on his head a plumy head-dress.
What charms lurk in feathers! From the grand
British dowager down to Mwana Ngoy of Ka-Bambarre',
all admit the fascination of feathers, whether plucked
from ostriches or barn-door fowl.
Mwana Ngoy's plumes were the tribute of the village
chanticleers, and his vanity was so excited at the rustle
of his feathered crest that he protruded his stomach to
such a distance that his head was many degrees from
the perpendicular.
1876.
October In.
Kizarobal:i.
A YOUTH OF EAST MAKYEMA.
A MAKTEMA ADULT.
On the 10th October we arrived at Kizambala, pre-
sided over by another chief, called Mwana Ngoy, a
relative of him of Ka-Bambarre.
Up to this date we had seen some twenty villages,
and probably 4000 natives, of Manyema, and may
therefore be permitted some generah*zations.
The Manyema, then, have several noteworthy pecu-
liarities. Their arms are a short sword scabbarded with
wood, to which are hung small brass and iron bells, a
light, beautifully balanced spear — probably, next to the
spear of Uganda, the most perfect in the world. Their
VOL. n. — 6
J by Google
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October 10,
Kizambala.
82 THEOUQH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1876. shields were veritable wooden doors. Their dress con-
sisted of a narrow apron of antelope skin or finely made
grass cloth. They wore knobs, cones, and patches of
mud attached to their beards, back hair, and behind the
ears. Old Mwana Ngoy had rolled his beard in a
ball of dark mud : his children wore their hair in
braids with mud fringes. His drummer had a great
crescent-shaped patch of mud at the back of the head.
At Kizambala, the natives had horns and cones of
mud on the tops of their heads. Others, more ambitious,
covered the entire head with a crown of mud.
Tlie women, blessed with an abundance of hair,
manufactured it with a
stiffening of light cane into
a bonnet-shaped head-dress,
allowing the back hair to
flow down to the waist in
masses of ringlets. They
seemed to do all the work
of life, for at all hours they
might be seen, with their
large wicker baskets behind
them, setting out for the
A YOUNG WOMAN OP EAST MANTEMA. rivcrs or crccks to catch
fish, or returning with their
fuel baskets strapped on across their foreheads.
Their villages consist of one or more broad streets
from 100 to 150 feet wide, flanked by low square
huts arranged in tolerably straight lines, and generally
situated on swells of land, to secure rapid drainage.
At the end of one of these streets is the council and
fi^ossip house, overlooking the length of the avenue.
In the centre is a platform of tamped clay, with a
heavy tree trunk sunk into it, and in the wood have
been scooped out a number of troughs, so that several
women may pound giain at once. It is a substitute for
the villnge mill.
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• ;-j<-'
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9
byGoogk
' ' Jl .
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CROSSING THE LUAMA. 83
The bouses are separated into two or more apart- i876.
ments, and on account of the compact nature of the ^^' "•
clay and tamped floor are easily kept clean. The roofs '^^"^
are slimy with the reek of smoke, as though they had
been painted with coal-tar. The household chattels or
furniture are limited to food baskets, earthenware pots,
an assortment of wickerwork dishes, the family shields,
spears, knives, swords, and tools, and the fish-baskets
lying outside.
They are tolerably hospitable, and permit strangers the
free use of their dwellings. The bananas and plan-
tains are very luxuriant, while the Guinea palms supply
the people with oil and wine; the forests give them
fuel, the rivers fish, and the gardens cassava, ground-
nuts, and Indian corn.
The chiefs enact strict laws, and, though possessed of
but little actual power either of wealth or retinue,
exact the utmost deference, and are exceedingly cere-
monious, being always followed by a drummer, who taps
his drum with masterly skill born of long and continued
practice.
On the 11th we crossed the Luama river — a stream
200 yards wide and 8 feet deep in the centre at the
ferry — called the Rugumba in Ubujwe. After uniting
with the Rubumba, it flows northward, and takes a
wide sweep round to clear the northern spurs of the
E[a-Bambarre group of mountains, and thence, meeting
another stream from the north-west near Uvira, flows
west, bisecting the country of Manyema. Beiow the
. ford, as far as the Lnalaba, its current is from three to
six knots an hour, and about 5 feet deep, flowing over
a shaly bed.
On the western side of the Luama the women at
once fled upon the approach of our caravan — a certain
sign that there had been trouble between them and
Arabs.
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84 THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1876. On the 12th, following the Luama river, we
October 12. j,^^^!^^^ Wusumbiri. My predecessors, Livingstone
bin. and Cameron, had, after crossing the stream, proceeded
west, but I preferred to follow the Luama to its junction
with the Lualaba, and thence to Nyangw^.
The Luama valley is about twenty miles wide,
furrowed with many watercourses; the soil is poor,
abounding with yellow quartz, but resting upon soft
shale. The ridges are formed of dykes of granite,
which peep out frequently in large masses from
amongst the foliage of trees.
The people appeared to be very timid, but behaved
amiably. Over fifty followed us, and carried loads
most willingly. Three volunteered to follow us where-
ever we should go, but we declined their offer.
Our riding-asses were the first ever seen in Man-
yema, and effected a striking demonstration in our
favour. They obtained more admiration than even we
Europeans. Hundreds of natives ran up to us at each
village in the greatest excitement to behold the strange
long-eared animals, and followed us long distances from
their homes to observe the asses* motions.
One ass, known by the name of Muscati, a high-
spirited animal from Arabia, possessed braying powers
which almost equalled the roar of a lion in volume,
and really appeared to enjoy immensely the admiration
he excited. His asinine soul took great delight in
braying at the unsophisticated Africans of the trans-
Luama, for his bray sent them flying in all directions.
Scores of times during a day's march we were asked
the name of the beast, and, having learnt it they were
never tired of talking about the " Mpunda.'*
One must not rashly impute all the blame to the
Arabs and Wa-Swahili of the Zanzibar coast for their
excesses in Manyema, for the natives are also in a way
to blame. Just as the Saxon and Dane and Jute,
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TEE ETIQUETTE OF HARMLESS WAB. 85
invited by the Britons, became their masters, so the i876.
Arabs, invited by the Manyema to assist them against ^***' ^^"
one another, have become their tyrants. wri.
Bribes were offered to us three times by Manyema
chiefs to assist them in destroying their neighbours, to
whom they are of near kin, and with whom they have
almost daily intimate relations. Our refusal of ivory
and slaves appeared to surprise the chiefs, and tliey
expressed the opinion that we white men were not as
good as the Arabs, for — though it was true we did
not rob them of their wives, ravish and steal their
daughters, enslave their sons, or despoil them of a
single article — the Arabs would have assisted them.
One of my men, who knew Manyema of old, said,
*' I told you, master, what kind of people these were :
they have always got a little war on hand, and they
only wait the arrival of the Arabs to begin it. The
quarrel is always with their nearest relatives and
friends, whom, however, for the sake of the family
alliances between them, they always take care to warn.
1 was once with Mohammed bin Gharib (Livingstone's
friend) when he undertook to fight a tribe for Mwana
Ngoy of Kizambala on the Luama. We were ten
hours firing away as fast as we could, but not a single
soul was wounded of either party !
" Mwana Ngoy, you must know, had told his friend
the hour Mohammed would begin, and his friend
obligingly left the field clear. Some of the boldest had
amused themselves by showing, their heads, just to let
us know that they were there, but I assure you no one
was hurt in the least.
** Of late years it has not been so bloodless, because
the Arabs have learned their tricks. When they set
out now, they never tell their native confederate when
they intend to begin, because they don't like to throw
away their powder for nothing. In this manner large
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86 THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1876. numbers of slaves have been captured and many men
^^^^^^* killed. After such an event, both sides, those who
biri. have suffered and those who were the cause and who
bribed the Arabs to the war, fall to weeping and
abusing the Arabs violently, and with pathetic cries
bewail the murdered, but never think of accusing
themselves."
The above is the story of Wadi Safeni, the coxswain
of the boat on Lake Victoria.
One really does not know whether to pity or to despise
the natives of Manyema. Many are amiable enough to
deserve good and kind treatment, but others are hardly
human. They fly to the woods upon the approach of
strangers, leaving their granaries* of Indian corn,
erected like screens across the streets, or just, outside
the villages, in tempting view of hungry people. If
the strangers follow them into the woods to persuade
them to return and sell food, the purpose of the visit is
mistaken, and they are assailed from behind depths of
bush and tall trees. They are humble and liberal to
the strong-armed Arab, savage and murderous and
cannibalistic to small bands, and every slain man pro-
vides a banquet of meat for the forest-natives of Man-
yema. Livingstone's uniform gentle treatment of all
classes deserved a better return than to have his life
attempted four times. His patience finally exhausted,
and his life in danjrer, he gave the order to his men,
" Fire upon them, these men are wicked."
Nevertheless, the best-natured Arabs confess that
the present state of things is to some extent the result
of the excesses and high-handed conduct of Muini
• These granaries consist of tall poles — like telegraph poles — ^planted
at a distance of about 10 feet from each other, to which are attached
about a dozen lines of lliane, or creepers, at interrals, from top to
bottom. On these several lines are suspended the maize, point down-
wards, by the shucks of the cob. Their appearance suggests lofty screens
built up of corn.
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WARBI0R8 PREPARING FOR A WAR OF WORDS. 87
Dugumbi, who, animated by greed for ivory and i876.
slaves, signalled his advent in the country by shooting ^^^^^'
men as soon as seen in their villages. Aware of the Wri.
bad repute which Arabs had in Manyema, I refused
to be accompanied by any trader from Ujiji, though
some half-dozen earnestly entreated me to wait for
them. As far as Nyangw^ all the members of our
Expedition had reason to rejoice in this decision, for
we were neither threatened nor molested in the least.
An internecine " war " in Manyema is exceedingly
comical. Old Riba-Riba, a patriarch of eighty or there-
abouts, who with his few villnges guards the frontier on
the range separating Uhombo from Manyema, told me
he was at " war " with Mwana Buttu of Nyembu. The
caupe was the murder of a young man of Riba-Riba's
by Mwana Buttu's people.
When the shocking affair became known there was
great excitement, much manifestation of anger, loud
talk, sharpening of broad-bladed spears, and industrious
preparation of stacks of fire-hardened wooden assegais
and other deadly war matiriel. All things being ready,
Riba-Riba's people reluctantly set off to fight Mwana
Buttu's villagers, not, however, without first communi-
cating their intentions and publishing by criers a formal
and fierce declaration of war.
But Mwana Buttu is of a sterner nature than is
common in Manyema; consequently, to Riba-Riba's
surprise, he did not abscond for fear of the invading
host, but calmly arrayed his warriors in order of
battle on the opposite side of a stream, that he might
take advantage of the enemy's confusion while crossing.
Riba-Riba's warriors, on emerging from the depth
of the forest, perceived the foe palis^aded behind their
tall door-like shields, and immediately formed them-
selves in like order on their own side of the stream.
From this position they opened on the enemy volleys
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88 THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1876. of tongue abuse, which lasted for hours ; until at last
October 13. j,^^^^ sides, fatigued with the wordy encounter and
^^ ' hoarse with the prolonged vituperative exercise, mutu-
ally consented to defer the battle until next day.
The morrow dawned, and both sides, vigilantly active
after their night*s rest, reformed themselves in the same
positions which they had occupied on the previous
day, and resumed the wordy war with all its fierce
gesture, and a great clangour of wooden shields, until
sunset, when both parties retired from the field with no
decisive advantage to either side.
On the third day the wordy war was resumed, until
both tribes, exhausted from the bloodless conflict,
mutually agreed that they would postpone the war with
spears to an indefinite period. Meanwhile they have
left oflF visiting. The affair will only be settled by the
arrival of some Arab mercenary, who, for a considera-
tion of five or six tusks of ivory, will undertake, with a
few explosions of that mischievous compound called
gunpowder, to send Mwana Buttu flying and to " beat
his back with his own shield," thus avenging Riba-
Riba.
On the 13th, after a march of thirteen miles in a
west-south-west direction, along a very crooked path,
we arrived at Kabungw^.
At this settlement we observed for the first time
spears all of wood, having their points sharp and
hardened in fire and shafts 8 to 1 0 feet long. As each
warrior possesses a sheaf of these weapons, besides a
vast wooden shield, he is sufficiently armed against a
native enemy, and might, by a little boldness, become
a dangerous foe to an Arab.
The currency throughout Manyema consists of
cowries. Six cowries formed the ration money of the
Wangwana, three cowries purchased a chicken, two
procured ten maize-ears, one cowrie obtiined the ser-
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NICKNAMES. 89
vice of a native to grind the grain, two cowries were i876.
a day's hire for a porter; so that the Wangwana /^^'
and Wanyamwezi were enjoying both abundance and * ""^
relief from labour while we were travelling through
Manyema.
At Kabungw^ I was alarmed at an insuflferable
odour that pervaded the air we breathed, for, whether in
the house or without, the atmosphere seemed loaded
with an intolerable stench. On enquiring of the natives
whether there was any dead animal putrefying in
the neighbourhood, they pointed to the firewood
that was burning, and to a tree — a species of laurel —
as that which emitted the smell. Upon examination I
found it was indeed due to this strange wood, which,
however, only becomes offensive under the action of
fire.
Between Kabungw^ and Mtuyu, our next camp, the
country is extremely populous. Were all the villages
we passed inhabited by brave men, a brigade of Euro-
pean troops could not move without precaution. The
people, however, did not attempt to molest us, though
an enormous number came out to stare at us and our
asses.
The natives are quick to adopt nicknames. In some
places the Arabs were known by the name of Mwana
Ngombe, " lords of cows " ; in others, Wasambyi?, or
the " uncircumcised," because of their Wanyamwezi
followers, which last name has penetrated over an
immense region.
Majwara, Frank Pocock's servant, upon receiving
the present of a bride from Mtesa because he was the
son of Namujurilwa, the champion of Uganda, gave
her the name of Tuma-leo, or ** sent to-day.**
The Sarmeen of my first expedition received from
his comrades, for his detective qualities, the name
of Kach^ch^, or the " weasel."
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90 THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT
1876. Lukoma, who accompanied ns to Muta Nzige, called
^''^- himself Mkanga, or " the one who looks behind."
"^ Sambuzi received the title of Mta-uza, or the
** spoiler** ; and one of his subordinates was called Ki-
swaga, or " fleet-foot.**
Kalulu*s name was formerly Ndugu Mali, ** brother
of money.**
Wadi Safeni had a young relative in the Expedition
entitled Akili Mali, or "one who is wise with his
money/*
Mgongo-Tembo, or ** elephant*s back '* ; Mambu, or
" noise '*; Khamis, or " Thursday **; Juma, or " Friday '*;
Muini Kheri, or **lord of fortune**; Muini Pembe, or
" lord of ivory ** ; and scores of others I might mention.
In the same manner countries receive appellations
distinctive of peculiarities, such as —
Unya-Nyemb6, land of hoes.
U-Yofa, land of elephants.
Unya-Mbewa, land of goats.
XJnya-Nkondo, land of sheep.
XJnya-Ngoma, land of drums.
XJ-Konongo, land of travellers.
Unya-Nguruw^, land of hogs.
U-Nguru, land of mountains.
XJ-Eusu, land of parrots.
U-Ganda, land of drums.
U-Lungu or U-Rungu, plain land.
Ma-Eungu, plateau land.
U-Kutu, land of ears (long ears ?).
U-Karanga, land of ground-nuts.
U-Lua, or U-Kua, land of lakes.
U-Emba, lake land.
U-Bwari, land of food.
Lakes also have names significative of native ideas,
such as the Tanganika, " the great lake spreading
out like a plain,'* or " plain-like lake ** ; Niyanja Muta
Nzigd, or "the lake of dead locusts," from, no doubt,
the swarms of locusts on the plnins of Ankori,
Unyoro, and Western Uganda, and the salinas of
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A TRIBE WITH BEARDS.
91
Usongora, being Bwept into it by strong winds ;
Niyanja, or Nianja Dkerewe, " the great lake around
Ukerewe."
Mtuyu is the easternmost settlement of the country
of Uzura. On arrival we perceived that all their
women were absent, and naturally enquired what had
become of them. They replied, in pathetic strains,
" Oh, they are all dead ; all cut off, every one. It was
the small-pox ! "
We sympathized with them, of course, because of
such a terrible loss, and attempted to express our
concern. But one of our
enterprising people, while
endeavouring to search out a
good market for his cowries,
discovered several dozen of
the women in a wooded
ravine !
Skirting the range of hills
which bounds the Luama
valley on the north, we
marched to Mpungu, which
is fifteen miles west of Mtuyu.
Kitete, its chief, is remarkable
for a plaited beard twenty
inches long, decorated at the
tips with a number of blue
glass beads. His hair was
also trussed up on the crown
of his head in a shapely
mass. His brother possessed
a beard six inches long; there
were half a dozen others with
beards of three or four inches
long. Kitete's symbol of royalty was a liuge truu-
cheon, or Hercules club, blackened and hardened by
KITEt£, TIIE CHIEF OF MPUNGU.
1876.
October.
Mtuyu.
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92 TEROUQH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1876. fire. His village was neat, and the architecture of the
October, j^^^g peculiar, as the picture below shows.
The Luama valley at Uzura at this season presents
a waving extent of grass-grown downs, and while
crossing over the higher swells of land, we enjoyed un-
interrupted views of thirty or forty miles to the west
and south.
From Mpungu we travelled through an interesting
country (a distance of four miles), and suddenly from
the crest of a low ridge saw the confluence of the
Luama with the majestic Lualaba. The former appeared
to have a breadth of 400 yards at the mouth ; the
NATIVE HOUSES AT MTUYU.
latter was about 1400 yards wide, a broad river of a
pale grey colour, winding slowly from south and by east.
We hailed its appearance with shouts of joy, and
rested on the spot to enjoy the view. A cross the river,
beyond a tawny, grassy stretch towards the south-south-
west, is Mount Kijima ; about 1000 feet above the
valley, to the south-south-east, across the Luama, runs
the Luhye-ya ridge; from its base the plain slopes
to the swift Luama. In the bed of the great river
are two or three small islands, green with the verdure
of trees and sedge. I likened it even here to the Missis-
sippi, as it appears before the impetuous, full-volumed
Missouri pours its rusty brown water into it.
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October
Luamm.
THE TASK BEFORE ME. 93
A tecret rapture filled my soul as I gazed upon the i876,
majestic stream. The great mystery that for all these
centuries Nature had kept hidden away from the woYld
of science was waiting to be solved. For two hundred
and twenty miles I had followed one of the sources of
the Livingstone to the confluence, and now before me
lay the superb river itself! My task was to follow it
to the Ocean*
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81 TEBOUQE TEE DARK CONTINENT.
CHAPTER IV.
At a swinging pace— Tippu-Tib, the Arab trader— News of Cameron
and his difficulties — The river that flows North for ever — In
Dwarf-land, fighting the dwarfis — Tippn-Tib's conditions — Friends
in oonncil — Heads or tails — Ealulu's accident at Nyangw^ — Its
residents and market — A muster of the Expedition.
1876. Wb resumed our journey. The men, women, and
October, children joined in a grand chorus, while a stentor from
wMg*. -Qnyamwezi attempted, in a loud and graphic strain, a
description of the joy he felt
Ho'\^ quickly we marched ! What a stride and what
vei-ve there was in our movements ! Faster, my
friends, faster! that you may boast to the Arabs at
Nyangwe what veterans you are !
There was no word uttered enjoining quicker speed,
but my people seemed intuitively to know my wish :
even the youthful gun-bearers vied with each other in
an exhibition of pedestrianism.
Over hill and dale we paced through Uzura, and
about noon entered the village of Mkwanga, eight
miles north-north-west of the confluence of the Luaraa
and the Lualaba.
At Mkwanga we met two Wangwana, who in-
formed us that the Arabs at Mwana Mamba*s had just
returned from an expedition into the forest of Manyema,
to avenge the murder of an Arab called Mohammed
bin Soud, and his caravan of ten men, by Mwana
Mpunda and his people.
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TIPPU'TIB, TEE ARAB TRADER. 95
The next day we crossed the Lulindi — a small river i768.
thirty-five yards wide, and fordable — ^and made a ^^"•
brilliant march of eighteen miles north-west, across a
broad and uninhabited plain which separates Uzura from
Mwana Mamba's district, Tubanda, where, having come
by a " back door," and having travelled so quickly, we
burst upon the astonished Arabs before they were aware
of our approach. Contrary, moreover, to the custom of
Arabs and Wangwana, 1 had strictly prohibited the
firing of musketry to announce our arrival ; consider-
ing the drum and trumpet sufficient, and less alarming.
Soon, however, the Arabs advanced — Say id Mezrui,
Mohammed bin Sayid. Muini Hassan, and others, who
conducted us to the broad verandah of Mezrui's tembe
until quarters could be prepared for us.
Last came the famous Hamed bin Mohammed, alias
Tippu-Tib, or, as it is variously pronounced by the
natives, Tipo-Tib, or Tibbu-Tib, He was a tall, black-
bearded man, of negroid complexion, in the prime of
life, straight, and quick in his movements, a picture
of energy and strength. He had a tine intelligent
face, with a nervous twitching of the eyes, and
gleaming white and perfectly formed teeth. He was
attended by a large retinue of young Arabs, who looked
up to him as chief, and a score of Wangwana and
Wanyamwezi followers whom he had led over thou-
sands of miles through Africa.
With the air of a well-bred Arab, and almost
courtier-like in his manner, he welcomed me to Mwana
Mamba's village, and his slaves being ready at hand
with mat and bolster, he reclined vis-k-vis, while a buzz
of admiration of his style was perceptible from the
on-lookers. After regarding him for a few minutes, I
came to the conclusion that this Arab was a remarkable
man — the most remarkable man I had met among
Arabs, Wa-Swahili, and half-castes in Africa. He was
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96 THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
i«76. neat in his person, his clothes were of a spotless white,
^^'' his fez-cap brand-new, his waist was encircled by a
Mamba. rich dowl^, his dagger was splendid with silver filigree,
and his tout ensemble was that of an Arab gentleman in
very comfortable circumstances.
The person above described was the Arab who had
escorted Cameron across the Lualaba as far as Utotera,
south latitude 6°, and east longitude 25^ 54'. Naturally,
therefore, there was no person at Nyangw^ whose evi-
dence was more valuable than Tippu-Tib's as to the
direction that my predecessor at Nyangwe had taken.
The information he gave me was sufficiently clear —
and was, moreover, confirmed by Sayid Mezrui and
other Arabs — that the greatest problem of African geo-
graphy was left untouched at the exact spot where Dr.
Livingstone had felt himself unable to prosecute his
travels, and whence he had retraced his steps to Ujiji
never to return to Nyangw^.
This was momentous and all-important news to the
Expedition. We had arrived at the critical point in
our travels: our destinies now awaited my final
decision.
But first I was anxious to know why Cameron had
declined the journey. Sayid Mezrui said it was because
he could not obtain canoes, and because the natives in
the Mitamba or forest were exceedingly averse to
strangers. Tippu-Tib averred also that Cameron's men
decidedly opposed following the river, as no one knew
whither it went.
" In the same way I am told the old man Daoud
Liviston** — David Livingstone — ^^*was prevented Irom
going. The old man tried hard to persuade the Arabs
to lend him canoes, but Muini Dugumbi refused, upon
the ground that he would be rushing to his death.
Cameron also asked for canoes, and offered high prices
for them, but Dugumbi would not be persuaded, as ho
Digitized by VjOOQIC
NEWS OF CAMERON AND EI8 DIFFICULTIES. 97
declined to be held responsible by the British Consul at isre.
Zanzibar for any accident that might happen to him. ^**^^'
Bombay, I believe, wished to go, but Bilal was reso- Mamba.
lute in his objections to the river, and each night
intrigued with the Arabs to prevent his master. When
Cameron reached Imbarri at Kasongo's, I offered to
take him for a sum of money as far as the 'Sankuru
river, provided he would give me a paper stating that
I took him at his own request, and releasing me from
all responsibility in the event of a conflict with the
natives. He declined to go. I therefore, at his own
request, supplied him with guides to take him to Juma
Merikani, at Kasongo*s, in Kua, where he would meet
Portuguese traders. I have received word from Juma
Merikani that Cameron, after many months' stay with
him, went on his way, escorted by a large number of
Portuguese traders, towards the western sea. That is
all I know about it."
Out of this frank explanation, I had, therefore,
elicited the information that " want of canoes and
hostility of the savages,** reluctance of the Arabs to
permit him to proceed by the river from an oflBcious
regard for his safety, and the ** cowardice of his
followers," were the main causes that prevented the
gallant officer from following the river.
These were difficulties for me also to surmount in
some manner not yet intelligible. How was I to instil
courage into my followers, or sustain it, to obtain the
assistance of the Arabs to enable me to make a fair
beginning, and afterwards to purchase or make canoes ?
" I suppose, Tippu-Tib," I said, ** having offered the *
other white man your assistance, you would have no
objections to offer it to me for the same sum T
" I don't know about tliat," he replied, with a smile.
" I have not many people with me now. Many are ixi
Imbarri, others are trading in Manyema."
VOL. u. — (
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byG00gl(
98 THBOUOE THE DARK CONTINENT.
1876. " How many men have you with you V*
October. « Perhaps three hundred — or say two hundred and
MamU. fifty.
** That number would be a grand escort, amply suflS-
cient, if well managed, to ensure perfect protection."
** Yes, united with your party, it would be a very
strong force, but how would it be when I returned
alone ? The natives would say, seeing only my own little
force, * These people have been fighting — half of them
are killed, because they have no ivory with them ; let
us finish them !' 1 know, my friend, these savages
very well, and I tell you that that would be their way
of thinking."
** But, my friend," said I, ** think how it would be
with me, with all the continent before me, and only
protected by ray little band ! "
" Ah, yes ! if you Wasungu " (white men) ** are
desirous of throwing away your lives, it is no reason we
Arabs should. We travel little by little to get ivory
and slaves, and are years about it — it is now nine
years since I left Zanzibar — ^but you white men only
look for rivers and lakes and mountains, and you
spend your lives for no reason, and to no purpose.
Look at that old man who died in Bisa ! What did he
seek year after year, until he became so old that he
could not travel ? He had no money, for he never
gave any of us anything, he bought no ivory or slaves,
yet he travelled farther than any of us, and for what?"
"I know I have no right to expect you to risk
your life for me. I only wish you to accompany me
sixty days' journey, then leave me to myself. If sixty
days' journey is too far, half that distance will do;
all I am anxious for is my people. You know the
Wangwana are easily swayed by fear, but if they
hear that Tippu-Tib has joined me, and is about to
accompany me, every man will have a lion's courage."
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TEE RIVEB THAT FLOWS NORTE FOR EVER. 99
" Well, I will think of it to-night, and hold a shauri i876.
with my relatives and principal people, and to-morrow ^^^•^
night we will have another talk/' Hamba.
The next evening, at about eight o'clock, Hamed
bin Mobammed, or Tippu-Tib, appeared with his
cousin, Mohammed bin Sayid, and otbers, to confer
upon the important business broached the evening
before, and, after the usual courteous and ceremonious
greetings, I was requested to state my intentions.
" I would like to go down the river in canoes until I
reach the place where the river turns for good eitlier
to the west or east."
" How many days' journey on land would that be ?"
asked Tippu-Tib.
** I don't know. Do you ?"
" No ; indeed, I was never in that direction ; but I
have a man here who has reached farthest of all."
"Where is he?"
" Speak, Abed, son of Jumah, what you know of this
river," said Tippu-Tib.
The son of Jumah, thus urged by his superior, spoke
and said, " Yes, I know all about the river, El hamd ul
illah r C' the thanks be to God ").
" In which direction does it flow, my friend ?"
"It flows north."
"And then?"
"It flows north!"
"And then?"
"Still north r
** Come, my friend, speak ; whither does it flow after
reaching the north ?"
"Why, master," replied he, with a bland smile of
wonder at my apparent lack of ready comprehension,
"don't I tell you it flows north, and north, and north,
and there is no end to it. I think it reaches the salt
sea, at least some of my friends say so."
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100 THROUGH THE DARE CONTINENT.
1876. ** Well, in which direction is this salt sea T*
^^^ " Allah yallim !" (" God knows !")
Mamba, " I thought you said you knew all about the river ?"
"I know it goes north!" said he decisively, and
sharply.
** How do you know ?"
" Because I followed Mtagamoyo to Usongora Meno,
and, crossing the Ugarowa,* near the Urindi, went
with him to the Lumani and to the dwarf country/*
" How many days is it from here to the dwarf
country ?"
" About nine months."
" And is the dwarf country near the Ugarowa ? **
" It is not far from it."
*^ Could you point with your hand the direction of
the Ugarowa — near the dwarf country ? "
" Yes, it is there," pointing north by west, magnetic.
. " What are the dwarfs like ?^But tell us the story
of your journey with Mtagamoyo."
After clearing his throat and arranging his cleanly
white dress, he gave me the account of his wanderings
to the unknown lands north, as follows : —
*' Mtagamoyo is a man who knows not what fear is —
Wallahi ! He is as bold as a lion. When he gave out
to the Arabs and Wangwana of Nyangwe that he was
about to proceed as far as possible to hunt up ivory,
of course we all felt that if any man could guide us to
new ivory fields it was Mtagamoyo. Many of the
youngest Arabs prepared themselves to follow him, and
all of us, mustering our armed slaves, followed in his
track.
*'We first reached Uregga, a forest land, where
there is nothing but woods, and woods, and woods, for
days, and weeks, and months. There was no end to
• The Ugarowa riyer is the Arab corruption of the word Lu-alowa,
which Liyingstone called Lnalaba.
Digitized
byG00gl(
IN DWAJRF'LAND. 101
the woods. The people lived surrounded by woods. i876.
Strangers were few before they saw us, and we had ^*****^*
shauri after shauri with them. We passed along easily Mambo.
for a few days, and then came trouble ; we struck for
the Ugarowa, and in about a month we reached
Usongora Meno, where we fought day after day. They
are fearful fellows, and desperate. We lost men every
day. Every man of ours that was killed was eaten.
They were hiding behind such thick bushes that we
could not see them, and their arrows were poisoned.
" Then the Arabs held another shauri. Some were
for returning, for they had lost many men, but Mtaga-
moyo would not listen. He said that the pagans should
not drive him away.
" Well, the end of the shauri was that we crossed the
Ugarowa, and went to Ukusu. Wallahi ! the Wa-
kusu were worse than those of Usongora Meno, but
Mtagamoyo heard of a country called Unkengeri, where
the natives were said to be better. We pushed on, and
arrived at Kima-Kima's. When we reached Kima-
Kima's, we possessed 290 guns; we had lost twenty
guns and any number of slaves on the road.
" Kima-Kiraa, who is on the Lumami, told us about
the land of the little men, where the ivory was so
abundant that we might get a tusk for a single cowrie.
You know, master, that when we Arabs hear of ivory
being abundant there is no holding us back. Oh ! we
started instantly, crossed the Lumami, and came to the
land of the Wakuna. Among the Wakuna, who are
big men themselves, we saw some six or seven of the
dwarfs; the queerest-looking creatures alive, just a
yard high, with long beards and large heads.
" The dwarfs asked us a lot of questions, where we
came from, where we were going, and what we wanted.
They seemed to be plucky little devils, though we
laughed to see them. They told us that in their
Digitized
byG00gl(
102 TEROUan THE DARK CONTINENT.
1876. country was ko mucli ivory that we had not enough
October. ^^^ ^ carry it, but they were very curious to know
Mamba. what we Wanted with it Did we eat it ? * No/ * What
then ? * We sell it to other men who make charms of
it/ * Oh ! What will you give us if we show the
ivory to you ? ' * We will give you cowries and
beads.' • * Good, come along.'
" We travelled six days, and then we came to the
border village of their country. They would not allow
us to penetrate farther until they had seen their king
and obtained his consent. In the meantime they said
we might trade round about. We did trade. We pur-
chased in two days more ivory than the other countries
could have supplied ua with in two weeks.
" On the third day the little people came back and
told us we might go and live in the king's village. It
was a mere long street, you know, with houses, exten-
ding a long distance on either side. They gave
us a portion of the village to live in. The king
was kind, at least he appeared so the first day;
the next day he was not so kind, but he sold ns ivory
in plenty. There was no lack of that. The dwarfs
came from all parts. Oh ! it is a big country ! and
everybody brought ivory, until we had about four hun-
dred tusks, big and little, as much as we could carry.
We had bought it with copper, beads, and cowries.
No cloths, for the dwarfs were all naked, king and all.
" They told us that eleven days' journey south-west
was another country, where there was even more ivory
than they had, and four days beyond that again was a
great lake, where there were ships. The lake was near
the country of a king whom they called Ngombe.
*' We did not starve in the dwarf land the first ten
days. Bananas as long as my arm, and plantains
as long as the dwarfs were tall. One plantain was
sufficient for a man for one day.
Digitized
byG00gl(
FIGHTING TEE DWARFS. 103
** We thouglit, seeing that we had obtained as much i876.
ivory as we were able to carry, that we had better ^***^^-
return. We told the king that we wanted to depart. lUmb*.
To our surprise, the king — ^he was no longer than my
leg — said that we should not be allowed to go. * Why ? '
we asked. * Because this is my country, and you are
not to go away until I say.' * But we have finished
our business, and we have had trade suflScient; wo
don't wish to buy any more.' * You must buy all I have
got ; I want more cowries ;' and he ground his teeth,
and he looked just like a wild monkey.
*' Mtagamoyo laughed at him, for he was very funny,
and then told him that we would have to go away,
because we had many friends waiting for us. He said,
* You shall not go from my country.'
" We held another shauri, when it was agreed that
if we stayed longer we might get into trouble and lose
our ivory, and that it was better to leave within two
days. But we did not have to wait two days for the
trouble! It came even before we had finished our
shauri. We heard a woman scream loud. We rushed
out, and met some Wangwana running towards us,
and among them a woman with a dwarfs arrow in her
breast.
** * What's this, what's this ? ' we asked, and they cyied
out, * The dwarfs shot this woman while she was draw-
ing water, and they are coming in immense numbers
towards us from all the other villages. It's a war,
prepare yourselves !'
•* We were not a bit too soon : we had scarcely put
on our belts and seized our guns before the vicious
wretches were upon us, and shooting their reed arrows
in clouds. They screamed and yelled just like monkeys.
Many of our people fell dead instantly from the poison
before we could get together and fire on them. Mtaga-
moyo ! he was everywhere brandishing his two-handed
Digitized
byG00gl(
104 TUBOUQU THE DARK CONTINENT.
1876. sword, and cleaving them as you would cleave a
October. ][)g^jjg^j^j^^ ^\^q arrows passed through his shirt in many
Mamba. places. There were many good fellows like Mtagamoyo
there, and they fought well ; but it was of no use. The
dwarfs were firing from the top of the trees ; they crept
through the tall grass close up to us, and shot their
arrows in our faces. Then Mtagomoyo, seeing it was
getting hot work, shouted * Boma ! Boma ! Boma ! *
(palisade), and some hundred of us cut down banana-
trees, tore doors out, and houses down, and formed a
boma at each end of the street, and then we were a
little better oif, for it was not such rapid, random
shooting ; we fired more deliberately, and after several
hours drove them off.
** Do you think they gave us peace ? Not a bit ; a
fresh party c^me up and continued the fight. They
were such small things, we could not see them very
well ; had they been tall men like us, we might have
picked off hundreds of them. We could not fight all
the time, for some of us had to sleep, so Mtagamoj'o
divided us into two parties, one party to go to sleep, the
other to watch the boma. All night we heard the
reed arrows flying past, or pattering on the roofs or
the boma fence ; all night we heard their yells. Once
or twice they tried to storm the boma, but we had
twenty muskets at each end.
" Well, the fight lasted all that night, and all the
next day, and throughout the next night. And we
could get no water, until Mtagamoyo called out a
hundred fellows, fifty with muskets and fifty with big
water-pots, to follow him. Mtagamoyo was a lion ; he
held up a shield before him, and looking around he
just ran straight where the crowd was thickest ; and
he seized two of the dwarfs, and we who followed him
caught several more, for they would not run away until
they saw what our design was, and then they left the
Digitized
byG00gl(
TEE DWARF EINCPS TREACnERT. 105
water clear. We filled our pots, and carried the little i876.
Shaitans (devils) into the boma ; and there we found ^***^'-
1 1 1 1 1 • I Mwana
we had caught the king I Mami»a.
** We all argued that we should kill him, but Mtaga-
moyo would not consent. ^ Kill the others/ he said, and
we cut all their heads oflF instantly and tossed them
outside. But the king was not touched.
" Then the dwarfs stopped fighting ; they came to us,
and cried * Sennen^ ! Sennene ! ' (' Peace, peace ')• We
made peace with them ; and they said that if we gave
them their king we might go away unmolested. After
a long shauri we gave him up. But the war was
worse than ever. Thousands came towards us, and
every man was as busy as he could be shooting them.
We fought all that day and, night, and then we saw
that the powder would not last; we had only two
kegs left.
** So our chiefs then mustered us all together, and
told us all that the only way was to rush out of the
boma again and catch them and kill them with our
swords in the way that Mtagamoyo had fought.
*^ After making everything ready we rushed out,
and every man, bending his head, made straight for
them. It was a race ! When they saw us coming out
with our broad long swords, bright as glass, they ran
away ; but we followed them like wolves for a couple
of hours. Ah, we killed many, very many, for they
could not run as fast as we could.
** We then returned, packed up quickly, took up one-
half of our ivory, and started for the forest. We
travelled until night, and then, quite tired out, we slept.
Master, in the middle of the night they were again on
us! Arrows sounded *twit,* * twit' in all directions
some one was falling down every minute. Our powder
was fast going. At last we ran away, throwing down
everything except our guns and swords. Now and then
Digitized
byG00gl(
106 THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1876. we could hear Mtagainoyo's horn, and we followed it.
October, g^^^ nearly all were so weakened by hunger and want
Ma^u, of water that they burst their hearts running, and died.
Others lying down to rest found the little devils close
to them when too late, and were killed. Master, out
of that great number of people that left Nyangwe,
Arabs, Wangwana, and our slaves, only thirty returned
alive, and I am one of them."
" AVhat is your name, my friend ? " I demanded.
" Bwana Abedi," he replied.
" And you follow Tippu-Tib now, do you, or Mtaga-
moyo ? *'
" I follow Tippu-Tib/' he answered.
** Ah ! good. Did you see anything else very won-
derful on your journey ? '*
" Oh yes 1 There are monstrous large boa-con-
strictors in the forest of Uregga, suspended by their
tails to the branches, waiting for the passer-by or for a
stray antelope. The ants in that forest are not to be
despised. You cannot travel without your body being
covered with them, when they sting you like wasps.
The leopards are so numerous that you cannot go very
far without seeing one. Almost every native wears a
leopard-skin cap. The Sokes (gorillas) are in the
woods, and woe befall the man or woman met alone by
them ; for they run up to you and seize your hands,
and bite the fingers off one by one, and as fast as they
bite one off, they spit it out. The Wasongora Meno
and Waregga are cannibals, and unless the force is
very strong, they never let strangers pass. It is nothing
but constant fighting. Only two years ago a party
armed with three hundred guns started north of
Usongora Meno ; they only brought sixty guns back,
and no ivory. If one tries to go by the river, there
are falls after falls, which carry the people over and
drown them. A party of thirty men, in three canoes,
Digitized
byG00gl(
TIFPU'TWS CONDITIONS. 107
went down the river half a day's journey from Ny- i876.
angw^, when the old white man was living there. ^^^*
They were all drowned, and that was the reason he iiamba.
did not go on. Had he done so, he would have been
eaten, for what could he have done ? Ah, no. Master,
, the country is bad, and the Arabs have given it up
beyond Uregga. They will not try the journey into
that country again, after trying it three times and
losing nearly five hundred men altogether.'*
**Your story is very interesting, Abedi,'* said I;
*' some of at, I think, is true, for the old white man said
the same thing to me when I was at Ujiji some four
years ago. However, I want to hear Tippu-Tib speak."
During all the time that Abedi had related his
wonderful experiences, the other Arabs had been list-
ening, profoundly interested ; but when I turned in-
quiringly to Tippu-Tib, he motioned all to leave the
room, except his cousin Mohammed bin Sayid.
When we were alone, Tippu-Tib informed me that he
had been consulting with his friends and relatives, and
that they were opposed to his adventuring upon such a
terrible journey ; but that, as he did not wish to see
me disappointed in my prospects, he bad resolved to
accompany me a distance of sixty camps, each camp
to be four hours' march from the other, for the sum of
5000 dollars, on the following conditions : —
1. That the journey should commence from Nyangwe
in any direction I chose, and on any day I mentioned.
2. That the journey should not occupy more time
than three months from the first day it was com-
menced.
3. That the rate of travel should be two marches to
one halt.
4. That if be accompanied me sixty marches — each
march of four hours' duration — I should at the end of
that distance return with him back again to Nyangwe,
Digitized
byG00gl(
108 THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1876. for mutual protection and support, unless we met traders
October. £j.Qj^ ^YiQ west coast, whom I might accompany to the
M^bi western sea, provided I permitted two-thirds of my force
to return with him to Nyangwe.
5. That, exclusive of the 5000 dollars, I should pro-
vision 140 men during their absence from Mwana
Mamha — going and returning.
6. That if, after experience of the countries and
the natives, I found it was impracticable to continue
thejourney, and decided upon returning before the sixty
marches were completed, I should not hold him respon-
sible, but pay him the sum of 5000 dollars without any
deduction.
These terms I thought reasonable — all except article
4; but though I endeavoured to modify the article,
in order to ensure full liberty to continue the journey
alone if I thought fit, Tippu-Tib said he would not
undertake the journey alone, from a distance of sixty
camps to Mwana Mamba, even though 50,000 dollars
were promised him, because he was assured he would
never return to enjoy the money. He would much pre-
fer continuing with me down to the sea, for a couple of
thousand dollars more, to returning alone with his 140
men for 50,000 dollars. He agreed, however, after a
little remonstrance, to permit the addition of article 7,
which was to the effect that if he, Tippu-Tib, abandoned
the journey through faintheartedness, before the full
complement of the marches had been completed, he was
to forfeit the whole sum of 5000 dollars, and the return
escort.
" There is no hurry about it,'' said I. ** You may
change your mind, and I may change mine. We will
both take twenty-four hours to consider it. To-morrow
night the agreement shall be drawn up ready for our
seals, or else you will be told that I am unable to agree
to your conditions." '
Digitized
byG00gl(
FRIENDS IN COUNCIL. 109
The truth was that I had opeoed negotiations without i876.
having consulted my people ; and as our conversation ^^^'
had heen private, it remained for me to ascertain the Mamba.
opinion of Frank, before my next encounter with
Tippu-Tib.
At 6 P.M., a couple of saucers, filled with palm-oil
and fixed with cotton-wick, were lit. It was my after-
dinner hour, the time for pipes and coffee, which Frank
was alwavs invited to share.
When he came in, the coffee-pot was boiling, and
little Mabruki was in waiting to pour out. The tobacco-
pouch, filled with the choicest production of Africa,
that of Masansi near Uvira, was ready. Mabruki
poured out the coffee, and retired, leaving us together.
" Now Frank, my son," I said, " sit down. I am
about to have a long and serious chat with you.
Life and death — ^yours as well as mine, and those
of all the Expedition — hang on the decision I make
to-night."
And then 1 reminded him of his friends at home,
and also of the dangers before him ; of the sorrow
his death would cause, and also of the honours
that would greet his success; of the facility of re-
turning to Zanzibar, and also of the perilous obstacles
in the way of advance — thus carefully alternating the
pro with the con.j so as not to betray my own inclina-
tions. I reminded him of the hideous scenes we had
already been compelled to witness and to act in, pointing
out that other wicked tribes, no doubt, lay before us ;
but also recalling to his memory how treachery, cun-
ning, and savage courage had been baulked by patience
and promptitude ; and how we still possessed the power
to punish those who threatened us or murdered our
friends. And I ended with words something like
these : —
** There is no doubt some truth in what the Arabs
Digitized
byG00gl(
110 THROUGH THE JDABK CONTINENT.
1876. say about the ferocity of these natives before us.
October. Livingstone, after fifteen thousand miles of travel,
iiamba. and a lifetime of experience among Africans, would not
have yielded the brave struggle without strong
reasons; Cameron, with his forty-five Snider rifles,
would never have turned away from such a brilUant
field if he had not sincerely thought that they were,
insuflScient to resist the persistent attacks of countless
thousands of wild men. But while we grant that
there may be a modicum of truth in what the Arabs
say, it is in their ignorant superstitious nature to
exaggerate what they have seen. A score of times
have we proved them wrong. Yet their reports have
already made a strong impression on the minds of the
Wangwana and Wanyamwezi. They are already
trembling with fear, because they, suspect that I am
about to attempt the cannibal lands beyond Nyangwe.
On the day that we propose to begin our journey, we
shall have no Expedition.
** On the other hand, I am confident that, if I am
able to leave Nyangwe with the Expedition intact,
and to place a breadth of wild country between our
party and the Arab depot, I shall be able to make men
of them. There are good stuff*, heroic qualities, in
' them ; but we must get free from the Arabs, or they
will be very soon demoralized. It is for this purpose
I am negotiating with Tippu-Tib. If I can arrange
with him and leave Nyangwe without the dreadful loss
we experienced at TJjiji, I feel sure that I can inspire
my men to dare anything with nie.
**The diflSculty of transport, again, is enormous.
We cannot obtain canoes at Nyangwe. Livingstone
could not. Cameron failed. No doubt I shall fail.
I shall not try to obtain any. But we might buy up
all the axes .that we can see between here and
Nyangwe, and, Iravelling overland on this side the
Digitized
byG00gl(
•r^r^" AND ''NO/" 111
Lualaba, we might, before Tippu-Tib's contract is at isro.
an end, come across a tribe which would sell their ^^***'-
canoes. We have sufficient stores to last a long time, M^Si
and I shall purchase more at Nyangwe. If the natives
will not sell, we can make our own canoes, if we possess
a 'sufficient number of axes to set all hands at work.
" Now, what I wish you to tell me, Frank, is your
opinion as to what we ought to do.*'
Frank's answer was ready.
*' I say, * Go on, sir.' "
*^ Think well, my dear fellow ; don't be hasty, life
and death hang on our decision. Don't you think we
could explore to the east of Cameron's road ? "
" But there is nothing like this great river, sir."
^ What do you say to Lake Lincoln, Lake Kamo-
londo. Lake Bemba, and all that part, down to the
Zambezi ? '*
^ Ah ! that is a fine field, sir, and perhaps the natives
would not be so ferocious. Would they ? "
" Yet, as you said just now, it would be nothing to
the great river, which for all these thousands of years
has been flowing steadily to the north through
hundreds, perhaps thousands, of miles, of which no
one has ever heard a word ! "
"Let us follow the river, sir."
" Yet, my friend, think yet again. Look at all these
faithful fellows whose lives depend on our word ; think
of our own, for we are yet young, and strong, and
active. Why should we throw them away for a barren
honour, or if we succeed have every word we said
doubted, and carped at, and our motives misconstrued
by malicious minds, who distort everything to our
injury ? "
" Ah, true, sir. I was one of those who doubted that
you had ever found Livingstone. I don't mind telling
you now. Until I came to Zanzibar, and saw your
Digitized
byG00gl(
112 THBOUGE TEE DARK CONTINENT.
1876. people, I did not believe it, and there are hundreds in
October, jjochester who shared my opinion."
Ma^^ " And do you believe, Frank, that you are in Man-
yema now ? '*
** I am obliged to, sir.**
^* Are you not afraid, should you return to England,
that when men say you have never been to Africa, as
no doubt they will, you will come to disbelieve it your-
self?''
"Ah no, sir,** he replied. ** I can never forget Ituni ;
the death of my brother in that wild land ; the deaths
of so many Wangwana there ; the great Lake ; Uganda ;
our march to Muta Nzige ; Eumanika ; my hfe in Ujiji ;
the Tanganika ; and our march here."
" But what do you think, Frank ? Had we not better
explore north-east of here, until we reach Muta Nzige,
circumnavigate that lake, and strike across to Uganda
again, and return to Zanzibar by way of Kagehyi ? "
" That would be a fine job, sir, if we could do it."
"Yet, if you think of it, Frank, this great river
which Livingstone first saw, and which broke his heart
almost to turn away from and leave a mystery, is a
noble field too. Fancy, by-and-by, after buying or
building canoes, our floating down the river day by
day, either to the Nile or to some vast lake in the far
north, or to the Congo and the Atlantic Ocean!
Think what a benefit our journey will be to Africa.
Steamers from the mouth of the Congo to Lalce Bemba,
and to all the great rivers which run into it ! "
** I say, sir, let us toss up ; best two out of three to
decide it."
" Toss away. Here is a rupee."
" Heads for the north and the Lualaba ; tails for the
south and Katanga."
Frank stood up, his face beaming. He tossed the
rupee high up. The coin dropped.
Digitized
byG00gl(
BEADS OR TAILS f 113
" What is it r I asked.
" Tails, sir I'' said Frank, with a face expressive of
strong disapproval.
" Toss again."
He tossed again, and " tails '^ was again announced
—and six times running '* tails " won.
We then tried straws — the short straws for the south,
the long straws for the river Lualaba — and again we
were disappointed, for Frank persisted in drawing out
1876.
October.
Mwana
Mamba.
*' HEADS FOB THE KOBTH AND THE LUALABA ; TAILS FOB THE SOUTH
AND KATANGA.*'
the short straws, and in leaving the long straws in my
hands.
" It is of no use, Frank. We'll face our destiny,
despite the rupee and straws. With your help, my dear
fellow, I will follow the river."
" Mr. Stanley, have no fear of me. I shall stand by
you. The last words of my dear old father were,
VOL. n. — 8
Digitized
byGoogU
114 TEHOUGH TEE DARK CONTINENT.
1876. * Stick by your master/ And there is my band, sir,
October, y^^ gj^^jj j^^y^^ \\^\Q causB to doubt me/*
ttamba. " Good, I shall go on then. I will finish this con-
tract with Tippu-Tib, for the Wangwana, on seeing
him accompany us, will perhaps be willing to follow
me. We may also recruit others at Nyangwe. And
then, if tlie natives will allow peaceful passage through
their countries, so much the better. If not, our duty
says, ' Go on.' "
The next night Tippu-Tib and his friends visited me
again. The contract was written, and signed by the
respective parties and their witnesses. The Wangwana
chiefs were then called, and it was announced to them
that Tippu-Tib, with 140 guns and seventy Wanya-
mwezi spearmen, would escort us a distance of sixty
camps, when, if we found the countries hostile to us,
and no hopes of meeting other traders, we should
return with him to Nyangwe. If we met Portuguese
or Turkish traders, a portion of us would continue the
journey with them, and the remainder would return
with Tippu-Tib to Nyangwe. This announcement was
received with satisfaction, and the chiefs said that,
owing to Tippu-Tib's presence, no Arab at Nyangwe
would dare to harbour a runaway from the Expedition.
Cowries and beads were then counted out and given
that evening to Tippu-Tib, as ration money for ten
days from the day of his departure from Mwana Mamba.
The next morning, being the 24th October, the
Expedition left Mwana Mamba in high spirits. The
good effect of the contract with Tippu-Tib had already
brought us recruits, for on the road I observed several
strange faces of men who, on our arrival at the first
camp, Marimbu, eleven miles north-west from Mwana
Mamba, appeared before my tent, and craved to be per-
mitted to follow us. They received an advance in cloth,
and their names were entered on the muster-list of the
Digitized
byG00gl(
KALVLXra ACCIDENT. 115
Expedition at the same rate of pay as the other Wanya- i876.
mwezi and Wangwana. K^t^!!"
Through a fine rolling country, but depopulated,
with every mile marked by ruined villages, we marched,
in a north-westerly direction, thirteen miles to Benan-
gongo, from Marimbu, and, on the 25th, arrived at
Kankumba, after a journey of twelve miles, crossing tho
Msharaa stream by the way.
From our camp at Kankumba we were pointed out
Nyangw^, and, as it was only five miles distant, some
of the people pretended to be able to see it. About one
mile from us was the marshy valley of the Kunda
river, another tributary of the Lualaba, which rises in
Uzimba ; to the east-north-east of us, about eight miles
ofi^, rose some hilly cones, spurs of the Manyema hills ;
on the west stretched a rolling grassy land extending
to the Lualaba.
The grass (genus Panicum) of Manyema is like
other things in this prolific land, of gigantic propor-
tions, and denser than the richest field of com. The
stalks are an inch in diameter, and about 8 feet high.
In fact, what I have called " grassy land " is more like
a waving country planted with young bamboo.
Young Kalulu, who, since his recapture at the
Uguha port on Lake Tanganika, had been- well
behaved, and was in high favour again, met with a
serious and very remarkable accident at Kankumba.
A chief, called Mabruki the elder, had retained a
cartridge in his Snider, contrary to orders, and, leaving
it carelessly on the stacked goods, a hurrying Mgwana
kicked it down with his foot, which caused it to
explode. Kalulu, who was reclining on his mat near
a fire, was wounded in no fewer than eight places, the
bullet passing through the outer part of his lower leg,
the upper part of his thigh, and, glancing over his
right ribs, through the muscles of his left arm.
Digitized
byG00gl(
October 27.
Nyangw^
116 THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1876. Though the accident had caused severe wounds, there
was no danger, and, by applying a little arnica, lint,
and bandages, we soon restored him to a hopeful view
of his case.
On the morning of the 27th we descended from our
camp at Kankumba to the banks of the Kunda, a river
about 40 yards wide, and 10 feet deep at the ferry.
The canoemen were Wagenya or Wenya fishermen
under the protection of Sheikh Abed bin Salim, alias
"Tanganika."
A rapid march of four miles brought us to the outskirts
of Nyangwe, where we were met by Abed bin Salim,
an old man of sixty-five years of age, Mohammed bin
Sayid, a young Arab with a remarkably long nose and
A CAKOE OF THE WENYA OB WAQZNYA FISHEBMEN.
small eyes, Sheikh Abed's fundis or elephant-hunters,
and several Wangwana, all dressed in spotless white
shirts, crimson fezzes, and sandals.
Sheikh Abed was pleased to monopolize me, by
offering me a house in his neighbourhood.
The manner that we entered Nyangwe appeared,
from subsequent conversation, to have struck Sheikh
Abed, who, from his long residence there, had wit-
nessed the arrival and departure of very many cara-
vans. There was none of the usual firing of guns and
wild shouting and frenzied action ; and the order and
steadiness of veterans, the close files of a column
which tolerably well understood by this time the differ-
ence between discipline and lawlessness with its
stragglers and slovenly laggards, made a marked im-
Digitized
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NYANGWk 117
pression upon the old Arab. Ever since the murder i876.
of Kaif Halleck in I turn, our sick had never been per-^*^^^^^*
mitted to crawl to camp unaided and unprotected. The ^"*^^
asses, four in number, and supernumeraries were always
at hand to convey those unable to travel, while those
only slightly indisposed were formed into a separate
company under Frank and six chiefs.
Another thing that surprised the Arab was the
rapidity of the journey from the Tanganika — 338 miles
in forty-three days, inclusive of all halts. He said that
the usual period occupied by Arabs was between three
and four months. Yet the members of the Expedition
were in admirable condition. They had never enjoyed
better health, and we had not one sick person ; the
only one incapacitated from work was Kalulu, and
he had been accidentally wounded only the very night
before. Between the Tanganika and the Arab depot
of Nyangwe neither Frank nor I had suffered the
slightest indisposition.
Nyangwe is the extreme westernmost locality inha-
bited by the Arab traders from Zanzibar. It stands in
east longitude 26^ 16', south latitude 4^ 15', on the right
or eastern side of the Lualaba, on the verge of a high
and reddish bank rising some forty feet above the river,
with clear open country nortE along the river for a
distance of three miles, east some ten miles, south over
seventy miles, or as far as the confluence of the Luama
with the Lualaba. The town called Nyangwe is divided
into two sections. The northern section has for its centre
the quarters of Muini Dugumbi, the first Arab arrival
here (in 1868) ; and around his house are the commo-
dious quarters of his friends, their families and slaves
— in all, perhaps, 300 houses. The southern section is
separated from its neighbour by a broad hollow, culti-
vated and sown with rice for the Arabs. When the
Lualaba rises to its full amplitude, this hollow is flooded.
Digitized
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118 THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT
1876. The chief house of the southern half of Nyangw^ is
T.1''T*^® large and well-built clay handa of Sheikh Abed
* bin Salim. In close neighbourhood to this are the
houses and huts of those Arab Wangwana who prefer
the company of Abed bin Salim to Muini Dugumbi.
Abed showed me his spacious courtyard, wherein he
jealously guards his harem of thirty fine, comely,
large-eyed women. He possesses two English hens
which came from India, and several chickens of mixed
breed, two dozen tame pigeons, and some guinea-fowls ;
in his store-room were about sixty or seventy tusks,
large and small.
Between the two foreign chiefs of Nyangwe there is
great jealousy. Each endeavours to be recognized
by the natives as being the most powerful. Dugumbi
is an east coast trader of Sa'adani, a half-caste, a vulgar,
coarse-minded old man of probably seventy years
of age, with a negroid nose and a negroid mind.
Sheikh Abed is a tall, thin old man, white-bearded,
patriarchal in aspect, narrow-minded, rather peevish
and quick to take offence, a thorough believer in witch-
craft, and a fervid Muslim.
Close to Abed's elbows of late years has been the long-
nosed young Arab Mohammed bin Sayid, superstitious
beyond measure, of enormous cunning and subtlety, a
peitinacious beggar, of keen trading instincts, but in
all matters outside trade as simple as a child. He
offered, for a consideration and on condition that I
would read the Arabic Koran, to take me up and
convey me to any part of Africa within a day. By
such unblushing falsehoods he has acquired considerable
influence over the mind of Sheikh Abed. The latter told
me that he was half afraid of him, and that he believed
Mohammed was an extraordinary man. I asked the
silly old Sheikh if he had lent him any ivory. No ;
but he was constantly being asked for the loan of ten
Digitized
byG00gl(
MOBE KNAVE THAN FOOL. ' 119
Frasilah (350 lbs.) of ivory, for which he was promised i876.
fifteen Frasilah, or 525 lbs., within six months. October28.
Mohammed, during the very first day of my arrival, ^'"^'^
sent one of his favourite slaves to ask first for a little
writing-paper, then for needles and thread, and, a
couple of hours afterwards, for white pepper and a bar
of soap ; in the evening, for a pound or two of sugar
and a little tea, and, if I could spare it, he would be
much obliged for some coffee. The next day petitions,
each very prettily worded — for Mohammed is an accom-
plished reader of the Koran — came, first for medicine,
then for a couple of yards of red cloth, then for a few
yards of fine white sheeting, &c. I became quite
interested in him — for was he not a lovable, genial
character, as he sate there chewing betel-nut and
tobacco to excess, twinkling his httle eyes with such
malicious humour in them that, while talking with
him, I could not withdraw mine from watching their
quick flashes of cunning, and surveying the long, thin
nose with its impenetrable mystery and classic lines?
I fear Mohammed did not love me, but my admiration
was excessive for Mohammed.
" La il Allah — il Allah ! " he was heard to say to
Sheikh Abed, ** that old white man Daoud ne-ver gave
much to any man ; this white man gives nothing^
Certainly not, Mohammed. My admiration is great for
thee, my friend ; but thou liest so that I am disgusted
with thee, and thou hast such a sweet, plausible, vil-
lainous look in thy face, I could punch thee heartily.
The next morning Muini (Lord) Dugumbi and
following came — a gang of veritable freebooters,
chiefest of whom was the famous Mtagamoyo — the
butcher of women and fusillader of children. Tippu-
Tib, when I asked him a few weeks after what he
thought of Mtagamoyo, turned up his nose and said,
** He is brave, no doubt, but he is a man whose heart
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October.
Njtngw^
120 THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1876. is as big as the end of my little finger. He has no
feeling, he kills a native as though he were a serpent
— ^it matters not of what sex/'
This man is about forty-four years of age, of middle
stature and swarthy complexion, with a broad face,
black beard just greying, and thin-lipped. He spoke
but little, and that little courteously. He did not appear
very formidable, but he might be deadly nevertheless.
The Arabs of Nyangwe regard him as their best fighter.
Dugumbi the patriarch, or, as he is called by the
natives Molemba-Lemba, had the rollicking look of a
prosperous and coarse-minded old man, who was per-
fectly satisfied with the material aspect of his condi-
tion. He deals in humour of the coarsest kind — a
vain, frivolous old fellow, ignorant of everything but
the art of collecting ivory, who has contrived to attach
to himself a host of nameless half-castes of inordinate
pride, savage spirit, and immeasurable greed.
The Arabs of Nyangwe?, when they first heard of the
arrival of Tippu-Tib at Imbarri from the south, were
anxious to count him as their fellow-settler ; but Tippu-
Tib had no ambition to become the chief citizen of a
place which could boast of no better settlers than vain
old Dugumbi, the butcher Mtagamoyo, and silly Sheikh
Abed ; he therefore proceeded to Mwana Mamba's, where
he found better society with Mohammed bin Sayid,
Say id bin Sultan, Mse Ani, and Sayid bin Mohammed
el Mezrui. Sayid bin Sultan, in features, is a rough
copy of Abdul Aziz, late sultan of Turkey.
One of the principal institutions at Nyangwe is the
Kituka, or the market, with the first of which I made
acquaintance in 1871, in Ujiji and Urundi. One day it
is held in the open plaza in front of Sheikh Abed's
house ; on the next day in Dugumbi's section, half a
mile from the other ; and on the third at the confluence
of the Kunda and the Luulaba ; and so on in turn.
Digitized
byG00gl(
IN THE MARKET.
121
In this market everything becomes vendible and pur-
chasable, from an ordinary earthenware pot to a fine
handsome girl from Samba, Marera, or Ukusu. From
one thousand to three thousand natives of both sexes
and of all ages gather here from across the Lualaba
and from the Kunda banks, from the islands up the
river and from the villages of the Mitamba or forest.
Nearly all are clad in the fabrics of Manyema, fine
grass cloths, which are beautifully coloured and very
durable. The articles sold here for cowries, beads,
copper and iron wire, and lambas, or squares of palm
cloth,* represent the productions of Manyema. I went
round the market and made out the following list : —
Sweet potatoes.
Fowls.
Basket-work.
Yams.
Black pigs.
Cassava bread.
Maize.
Goats.
Cassava flour.
SesamtmL
Sheep.
Copper bracelets.
MiUei
Parrots.
Iron wire.
Beans.
Palm-wine (Malofu).
Iron knobs.
CucTimbeis.
Pomb6 (beer).
Hoes.
Melons.
Mussels and oysters
Spears.
Cassava.
from the river.
Bows and arrows.
Gioxmd-ntits.
Fresh fish.
Hatchets.
Bananas.
Dried fish.
Pattan-cane staves.
Sugar-cane.
Whitebait
Stools.
Pepper (in berries).
Snails (dried).
Crockery.
Vegetables for broths.
Salt.
Powdered camwood.
Wild fruit.
White ants.
Grass cloths.
Palm-butter.
Grasshoppers.
Grass mats.
Oil-palm nuts.
Tobacco (dried leaf).
Fuel.
Pine-apples.
Pipes.
Ivory.
Honey.
Fishing-nets.
Slaves.
1876.
October.
Nyangw^
From this it will be perceived that the wants of
Nyangw^ are very tolerably supplied. And how like
any other market-place it was! with its noise and
murmur of human voices. The same rivalry in extolling
their wares, the eager quick action, the emphatic gesture,
the inquisitive look, the facial expressions of scorn and
* Made from the fibre of the Haphia vini/era palm.
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122 THROUau TtUS DABK CONTINENT.
1876. triumph, anxiety, joy, plausibility, were all there. I
October. (jjgQoverecl, too, the surprising fact that the aborigines
of Manyema possess just the same inordinate ideas in
respect to their wares as London, Paris, and New York
shopkeepers. Perhaps the Manyema people are not so
voluble, but they compensate for lack of language by
gesture and action, which are unspeakably eloquent.
During this month of the year the Lualaba reached
its lowest level. Our boat, the Lady Alice^ after almost
being re-built, was launched in the river, and with sound-
iug-line and sextant on board, my crew and I, eager to
test the boat on the grey-brown waters of the Great
River, pushed oflFat 1 1 a.m. and rowed for an island oppo-
site, 800 yards distant, taking soundings as we went.
The following are the figures, noted down after each
trial with the lead, beginning thirty yards from shore,
and ending at the low brush-covered island opposite
Nyangw^ : —
18
23
21
15
19
24
244
15
18
25
22
15i
18J
24i
23
14
20
25
22
13
20i
26
21
12
19
27
19
9
21
27i
17
9i
16
8
— the tot^xl of which gives a mean of 18 feet 9 inches.
The easternmost island in mid-river is about 100 yards
across at its widest part, and between it and another
island is a distance of from 250 to 300 yards. From
the second island to the low shore opposite Nyangwd
is about 250 yards, and these channels have a slightly
swifter flow tlian the main river. The mean depth
of the central channel was 12| feet, the westernmost
1 1 feet, and the entire width of clear water flow was
about 1300 yards. During the months of April, May,
Digitized
byG00gl(
Nytngwi
TEE FISHING TBIBES. 123
and June, and the early part of July, the Lualaba is 1876.
full, and overspreads the low lands westward for nearly '^^*''
a mile and a half. The Lualaba then may be said
to be from four thousand to five'^ thousand yards wide
opposite Nyangw^.
The Arabs, wherever they settle throughout Africa,
endeavour to introduce the seeds of the vegetables and
fruit-trees which grow in their beloved island of Zan-
zibar. At TJnyanyemb^, therefore, they have planted
papaws, sweet limes, mangoes, lemons, custard- apples,
pomegranates, and have sown wheat and rice in
abundance. At Ujiji also they have papaws, sweet
limes, pomegranates, lemons, wheat, rice, and onions.
At Nyangwd their fruit consists of pine-apples, papaws,
and pomegranates. They have succeeded admirably
in their rice, both at Nyangwe, Kasongo's, and Mwana
Mamba's. Onions are a failure, the Arabs say, be-
cause of a species of worm which destroys them. The
banana {Musa paradisaica) and plantain {Musa sapierir
turn) are indigenous.
The Wagenya, as the Arabs call them, or Wenya —
pronounced Wainya — as they style themselves, are a re-
markable tribe of fishers, who inhabit both banks of
the Lualaba, from the confluence of the Kamalondo on
the left bank down to the sixth cataract of the Stanley
Falls, and on the right bank from the confluence of the
Luama down to Ubwire or Usongora Meno.
The Wenya were the aborigines of Nyangwd, when
the advanced party of Muini Dugumbi appeared on
the scene, precursors of ruin, terror, and depopulation
to the inhabitants of 700 square miles of Manyema.
Considering that the fertile open tract of country be-
tween the Luama and Nyangw^ was exceedingly
populous, as the ruins of scores of villages testify,
sixty inhabitants to the square mile would not be too
great a proportion. The river border, then, of Man-
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124 THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1876. yema, from the Luama to Nyangwe, may be said to
Not ^' i^^yQ ]^^^ ^ population of 42,000 souls, of which there
remain probably only 20,000. The others have been
deported, or massacred, or have fled to the islands or
emigrated down the river.
The Arabs and Wangwana have murdered also the
word Lualaba, or Lualowa. They have given us
instead Ugalowa, Ugarowa, which must be rejected,
as I never heard a single native west of the Tanganika
use the term. It originated, no doubt, from some
slave of Uhiyau, or Nyassa, Bisa, Unyamwezi, or
other parts. Had an intelligent Arab heard the name
first, we should most probably have received some-
thing nearer the correct word.
Manyema is variously pronounced as Mani-yema,
Manu-ema, Mani-wema, but the first is the most popular.
For the spelling of the name Tanga-nika, I still main-
tain that that is the most correct, and that it is purer
African than Tanga-ny-ika. Neither Arab, Mgwana,
nor aborigine of the interior ever approached such a
sound. It is pronounced the same as Amerika, Afrika,
Angel-ica, Freder-ica. I have only heard one name
throughout Africa resembling that which I reject, and that
was Ny-ika, king of Gambarngara, pronounced Nye-ika.
Tippu-Tib arrived at Nyangwe on the 2nd
November, with a much larger force than I antici-
pated, for he had nearly 700 people with him. How-
ever, he explained that he was about to send some 300
of them to a country called Tatn, which lies to the east
of Usongora Meno.
On the 4th November the members of the Ex-
pedition were mustered, and we ascertained that
they numbered 146,* and that we possessed the fol-
• This number was finally increased by the addition of six stont yonng
fellows from Nyangwe, which made our total number of men, women^
and children (sons of the Wangwana, from Zanzibar), 154.
Digitized
byG00gl(
ABMA VIBOSQUE. 125
lowing arms — Smders, 29; percussion-lock muskets, 32; i876.
Winchesters, 2; double-barrelled guns, 2; revolvers, ^^^^'^
10 ; axes, 68. Out of this number of sixty-four guns,
only forty were borne by trustworthy men ; the others
were mere pagazis, who would prefer becoming slaves
to fighting for their freedom and lives. At the same
time they were valuable as porters, and faithful to their
allotted duties and their contract when not enticed
away by outside influences or fear. The enormous
force that Tippu-Tib brought to Nyangw^ quite en-
couraged them, and when I asked them if they were
ready to make good their promise to me at Zanzibar
and Muta Nzig^ lake, they replied unanimously in the
afifirmative.
** Then to-night, my friends,'' said I, ** you will pack
up your goods, and to-morrow morning at the first
hour let me see you in line before my house ready to
start,"
Digitized
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126 TEBOUQE THE DARK CONTINENT,
CHAPTER V.
Tippn-Tib's henchmen — In the primeval forest, a wilderness of trees —
Primitive furniture — Our sufferings in the pagans' forest — Tippu-
Tib breaks down — A village blacksmith — Soko skulls ; the missing
link — Professor Huxley's opinion thereon — Thb Liyinobtons —
A day dream — The road to the ocean — Timid counsels — "The
Wasambye I '* — " Ooh-hu ! ooh-hu ! '* — Successful diplomacy.
1876. When, on the 5th November 1876, we had left Ny-
NoY. 5. angw^ behind ns, and had ascended an elevated grassy
>"»Kw ridge, we saw before us a black curving wall of forest,
which, beginning from the river bank, extended south-
east, until hills and distance made it indistinct.
I turned round to look at Nyangw^, which we were
leaving. How loveable and cheerful it appeared as
it crowned the shoulder of one of those lengthy grassy
undulations overlooking the grey-brown Livingstone !
How bright and warm appeared the plain-border of the
river as the sun shone over its wind-fanned waves of
grass! Even the hill-cones of TJzura and Western
Manyema ranked in line between the forest and the
grassy plain, which were now purpling and becoming
like cloud-forms, seemed to me to have a more friendly
and brighter appearance than the cold blackness of the
dense forest which rose before us to the north !
What a forbidding aspect had the Dark Unknown
which confronted us ! I could not comprehend in the
least what lay before us. Even the few names which I
had heard from the Arabs conveyed no definite impres-
Digitized
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Nyangw^
LIGETING THE TORCH. 127
sion to my understanding. What were Tata, Meginna, i876.
Uregga, TJsongora Meno, and such uncouth names to ^^^* ^*
me ? They conveyed no idea, and signified no object ;
they were barren names of either countries, villages, or
peoples, involved in darkness, savagery, ignorance, and
fable.
Yet it is our destiny to move on, whatever direction
it may be that that narrow winding path, running
among tall grasses, and down into gullies and across
small streams, takes us, until we penetrate that cold,
dark, still horizon before us, and emerge whithersoever
the narrow path will permit us — a distance of 240
hours' travel.
The object of the desperate journey is to flash a torch
of light across the western half of the Dark Conti-
nent. For from Nyangw^ east, along the fourth
parallel of south latitude, are some 830 geographical
miles, discovered, explored, and surveyed, but west-
ward to the Atlantic Ocean along the same latitude are
956 miles— over 900 geographical miles of which are
absolutely unknown. Instead, however, of striking
direct west, we are about to travel north on the eastern
side of the river, to prevent it bending easterly to Muta
Nzige, or Nilewards, unknown to us, and to ascertain,
if the river really runs westward, what affluents flow to
it from the east; and to deduce from their size and
volume some idea of the extent of country which they
drain, and the locality of their sources.
A thousand things may transpire to prevent the accom-
plishment of our purpose : hunger, disease, and savage
hostility may crush us ; perhaps, after all, the difficul-
ties may daunt us, but our hopes run high, and our
purpose is lofty ; then in the name of God let us set
on, and as He pleases, so let Him rule our destinies I
After journeying a distance of nine miles and a half
north-east, over a rolling plain covered with grass, we
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• 128 THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1876. arrived at the villages of Nakasimbi ; Tippu-Tib, with
Nak^'bi ^^^ people, men, women, and children, occupying two
villages, while our Expedition occupied another over-
looking a depression drained by a sluggish aflfluent of
the Kunda River.
Tippu-Tib is accompanied by about a dozen Arabs,
young or middle-aged, who have followed him in the
hope of being rewarded by him or myself at the end
of a prosperous journey.
Sheikh Hamed bin Mohammed, alias Tippu-Tib, alias
Mtipula, we know already. To-day he is bland and
courteous, enthusiastic, and sanguine that we shall
succeed without trouble. The next in importance to
him is an Arab — full-bearded, fine-featured, of a dark
complexion, called Sheikh Abdallah, alias Muini
Eabwana — a name adopted solely for Manyema. He
is very ignorant, can neither read nor write, but has a
vast regard for those who have mastered the secrets of
literature, like Tippu-Tib. He is armed with a flint-
lock Brummagem musket, for which he has consider-
able aifection, because — according to him — it has saved
his life many a time, " It never lies."
The next is Muini Ibrahim, a Mrima (coast) man,
of Arab descent, though ruder and unpolished. Ameri-
cans would have nothing much to do with him, because
the negroid evidences are so great that he would be
classed as a full-blooded negro. Yet he speaks Arabic
well, and is a fervid Muslim, but withal as superstitious
as any primitive African. He affects to be religious, and
consequently is not bloodthirsty, having some regard
for the lives of human beings, and for this receiving
due praise from me. He is also armed with a flintlock
musket. Sheikh Abdallah and he are bosom friends,
and possess five or six female slaves each, and from
thirty to forty male slaves, likewise armed with flint-
locks.
Digitized
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TIFPU'TWS HENCHMEN. 129
Tippu-Tib's Arab dependants, who dip their hands in i876.
the same porridge and meat-dish with the independent ^^'^\
Sheikh Abdallah and Muini Ibrahim, consist of Muini
Jumah (Master Friday), a nervous, tall young man ;
Ch&h^ (Weasel), a short, light-complexioned young man
of twenty-five years of age ; Bwana Abed bin Jumah,
the author of the dwarf story, who has consented to
act as our guide ; Muini Hamadi, a half-caste man of
sturdy form and resolute appearance ; and six or seven
others of no special individuality or importance, except
as so many dependants of Tippu-Tib.
The 700 followers who follow our Expedition at
present consist of two parties ; one party, composed of
300 men, women and children, and commanded by
Bwana Shokka (master of the axe), the confidential
man of Tippu-Tib*s staff, of great strength, tall and
gaunt of person, and a renowned traveller ; a man of
great tact, and worth a fortune to his master, as he is
exceedingly cool, speaks slowly, and by some rare gift
conciliates the savages (when not actually attacked
on the road), and makes them friends. In a few days
he is to part from us, striking north-easterly for some
dozen marches, the utmost reach of Arab intercourse.
The 400 who are to accompany us for a distance of
sixty camps consist of about 250 men — Arabs, half-
castes, Wangwana, 100 Wanyamwezi, Ruga-Ruga —
mostly armed with spears and bows and arrows ; others
possess flintlocks. One hundred men consist of Ba-
rua, Manyema, Bakusu, Ba-Samba, and Utotera slaves ;
most of these slaves are armed with flintlocks, the
others with formidable spears and shields. There are
also about fifty youths, ranging from ten to eighteen
years of age, being trained by Tippu-Tib as gun-
bearers, house servants, scouts, cooks, carpenters, house-
builders, blacksmiths, and leaders of trading parties.
Meanwhile such young fellows are useful to him ; they
VOL. n. — 9
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130 THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1876. are more trustworthy than adults, because they look up
m^' L. *^ ^^^ ^® ^^ir father ; and know that if they left him
they would inevitably be captured by a less humane
man. The remainder of this motley force consists of
women, twenty of whom belong to the household ot
Tippu-Tib, all purchased with ivory, guns, cloth, or
beads. Thirty women are the properties of the Arab
dependants, chiefly half-castes and Wangwana, follow-
ing Tippu-Tib.
Two hundred and ten out of the 400 I have pledged
to support until they shall return to Nyangwe, at the
same rate of ration currency that may be distributed to
the members of our Expedition.
On the 6th November we drew nearer to the
dreaded black and chill forest called Mitamba, and at
last, bidding farewell to sunshine and brightness,
entered it.
We had made one mistake — we had not been up
early enough. Tippu-Tib's heterogeneous column of
all ages were ahead of us, and its want of order and
compactness became a source of trouble to us in the
rear.
We, accustomed to rapid marching, had to stand
in our places minutes at a time waiting patiently for
an advance of a few yards, after which would come
another halt, and another short advance to be again
halted. And all this time the trees kept shedding
their dew upon us like rain in great round drops. Every
leaf seemed weeping. Down the boles and branches,
creepers and vegetable cords, the moisture trickled and
fell on us. Overhead the wide-spreading branches, in
many interlaced strata, each branch heavy with broad
thick leaves, absolutely shut out the daylight. We
knew not whether it was a sunshiny day or a dull,
foggy, gloomy day ; for we marched in a feeble solemn
twilight, such as you may experience in temperate
Digitized
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Nov. 6.
Mitamba,
IN TEE PRIMEVAL FOREST. 131
climes an hour after sunset. The path soon became a i876.
stiff clayey paste, and at every step we splashed water
over the legs of those in front, and on either side of us.
To our right and left, to the height of about twenty
feet, towered the undergrowth, the lower world of
vegetation. The soil on which this thrives is a dark-
brown vegetable humus, the debris of ages of rotting
leaves and fallen branches, a very forcing-bed of vege-
table life, which, constantly fed with moisture, illus-
trates in an astonishing degree, the prolific power of
the warm moist shades of the tropics.
The stiff clay lying under this mould, being imper-
vious, retains* the moisture which constantly supplies
the millions of tiny roots of herb, plant, and bush. The
innumerable varieties of plants which spring up with
such marvellous rapidity, if exposed to the gale, would
soon be laid prostrate. But what rude blast can visit
these imprisoned shades? The tempest might roar
without the leafy world, but in its deep bosom there
is absolute stillness. One has but to tug at a sap-
ling to know that the loose mould has no retentive
power, and that the sapling's roots have not penetrated
the clays. Even the giants of the forest have not pene-
trated very deeply, as one may see by the half exposed
roots ; they appear to retain their upright positions
more by breadth of base than by their grasp of earth.
Every few minutes we found ourselves descending
into ditches, with streams trending towards the Kunda
river, discharged out of leafy depths of date-palms,
Amoma, Carpodinse, and Phrynia. Climbing out from
these streams, up their steep banks, our faces were
brushed by the broad leaves of the Amomum, or the
wild banana, ficus of various kinds, and climbing,
crawling, obstructing lengths of wild vines.
Naturally our temper was not improved by this new
travelling. The dew dropped and pattered on us inces-
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Mpotira.
132 THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1876. santly until about 10 -A.M. Our clothes were heavily
M!Ifi!i saturated with it. My white sun-helmet and puggaree
appeared to be weighted with lead. Being too heavy,
and having no use for it in the cool dank shades, I
handed it to my gun-bearer, for my clothes, gaiters, and
boots, which creaked loudly with the water that had
penetrated them, were sufficient weight for me to move
with. Added to this vexation was the perspiration which
exuded from every pore, for the atmosphere was stifling.
The steam from the hot earth could be seen ascending
upward and settling like a grey cloud above our heads.
In the early morning it had been so dense that we
could scarcely distinguish the various ttees by their
leafage.
At 3 P.M. we had reached Mpotira, in the district of
Uzimba, Manyema, twenty-one miles and a half from
the Arab depot on the Lualaba.
The poor boatmen did not arrive until evening, for
the boat sections — dreadful burdens — had to be driven
like blunted ploughs through the depths of foliage.
The men complained bitterly of fatigue, and for their
sake we rested at Mpotira.
The nature of the next two days' experiences through
the forest may be gathered by reading the following
portions of entries in my journal : —
" November 8. — N. ^ W., nine miles to district of
Karindi, or Kionga, Uregga.
" We have had a fearful time of it to-day in these
woods, and Bwana Shokka, who has visited this region
before, declares with superior pride that what we have
experienced as yet is only a poor beginning to the
weeks upon weeks which we shall have to endure.
Such crawling, scrambling, tearing through the damp,
dank jungles, and such height and depth of woods !
• • . Once we obtained a side-long view from a tree
on the crown of a hill, over the wild woods on our
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A WILDERNESS OF TREES. 133
left, which swept in irregular waves of branch and i876.
leaf down to the valley of the Lnalaba. Across the ^**^; ^'
Lualaba, on the western bank, we looked with wistful
eyes on what appeared to be green grassy plains. Ah !
what a contrast to that which we had to endure ! It
was a wild and weird scene, this outlook we obtained of
the top of the leafy world ! ... It was so dark some-
times in the woods that I could not see the words,
recording notes of. the track, which I pencilled in my
note-book. At 3.30 p.m. we arrived in camp, quite
worn out with the struggle through the intermeshed
bush, and almost suifocated with the heavy atmosphere.
Oh for a breath of mountain air ! "
'' November 9, 1876.— N. ^ W., ten and a half miles'
march to Kiussi, Uregga.
"Another difficult day's work in the forest and
jungle. Our Expedition is no longer the compact
column which was my pride. It is utterly demoralized.
Every man scrambles as he best may through the
woods; the path, being over a clayey soil, is so slippery
that every muscle is employed to assist our progress.
The toes grasp the path, the heads bear the load, the
hand clears the obstructing bush, the elbow puts aside
the sapling. Yesterday the boatmen complained so
much that I organized all the chiefs into a pioneer
party, with axes to clear the path. Of course we could
not make a wide road. There were many prostrate
giants fallen across the path each with a mountain of
twigs and branches, compelling us to cut roads through
the bush a long distance to get round them. My boat^
bearers are utterly wearied out."
On the 10th we halted for a well-deserved rest.
We were now in Uregga — the forest country. Fenced
round by their seldom penetrated woods, the Waregga
have hitherto led lives as secluded as the troops of
chimpanzees in their forest. Their villages consist of
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134 THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1876. long rows of houses, all connected together in one block
^Zu^i' ^^^^ ^^ yards to 300 yards in length. The doorways are
square apertures in the walls, only 2 feet square, and
cut at about 18 inches above the ground. Within, the
long block is divided into several apartments for the
respective families. Like the Manyema houses, the
UREQGA HOUSE.
roofs glisten as though smeared with coal-tar. There
are shelves for fuel, and netting for swinging their
crockery : into the roof are thrust the various small
knick-knacks which such families need — the pipe, and
bunch of tobacco-leaves, the stick of dried snails, various
mysterious compounds wrapped in leaves of plants,
pounded herbs, and what not. Besides these we noted,
as household treasures, the skins of goats, mongoose or
^. y»6»uuuuuu»i
BTOOL OF UUEGGA. SPOONS OF UBEGOA.
civet, weasel, wild cat, monkey, and leopard, shells of
land snails, very large and prettily marked, and neck-
laces of the Achatina monetaria. There is also quite a
store of powdered camwood, besides curiously carved
bits of wood, supposed to be talismans against harm, and
handsome spoons, while over the door are also horns of
goats and small forest deer, and, occupying conspicuous
places, the gaudy war head-dress of feathers of the grey-
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FBIMITIVE FURNITURE. 135
bodied and crimson-tailed parrots, the drum and some
heavy broad-bladed spears with ironwood staiFs. ^''''- ^^
UBEQOA 8PBAR.
In the "arts and sciences" of savage life, these
exceedingly primitive Africans, buried though they
have been from all intercourse with others, are superior
in some points to many tribes more favourably situated.
For instance, until
the day I arrived at
Kiussi village, I had
not observed a settee.
Yet in the depths of canb settee.
this forest of Uregga
every family possessed a neatly made water-cane settee,
which would seat comfortably three persons.
Another very useful article of furniture was the
bench 4 or 5 feet long, cut out of a single log of the
white soft wood of
one of the Rubiaceae,
and significant as
showing a more
sociable spirit than bench.
that which seems to
govern Eastern Africans, among whom the rule is,
** Every man to his own stool."
Another noteworthy piece of furniture is the fork
of a tree, cut off where the branches begin to ramify.
This, when trimmed and peeled, is placed in an inverted
position. The branches, sometimes three or even four,
serve as legs of a singular back-rest.
The southern Waregga who border upon Uzimba
and Manyema say they came from the north some five
or six generations ago ; that they found the forest in
Digitized
by Google
1876.
Jov. 10
Kiossi.
136 THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT
1876. possession of the Wavinza and Wazimba, and dispos-
^K ^^ sessed them of the land. They retain the names of
their forefathers from six to ten generations back.
Sheikh Abdallah questioned the chief of Kiussi in my
presence of his forefathers, and he gave in succession ten
diflferent names in answer to questions such as these :
*' What is your name ?'* " Who was your father ?" and
" Whose son was he ? " " Then who was his father ? "
All the adult males wear skull-caps of goat- or monkey-
skin, except the chief and elders,
^^^^^ whose heads were covered with the
^^H^^k aristocratic leopard-skin, with the tail
^^^^^^B of the leopard hanging down the
^^■P^ back like a tassel.
m The women were weighted with
m massive and bright iron rings. One
M of them, who was probably a lady
\ of importance, carried at least 12 lbs.
1 of iron and 5 lbs. of copper rings on
f her arms and legs, besides a dozen
^^lII^a^b^sk^n.^'' necklaces of the indigenous Achatina
monetaria.
From Kiussi, through the same dense jungle and
forest, with its oppressive atmosphere and its soul-
wearying impediments, we made a journey of fourteen
miles to Mirimo. Four streams were crossed, all trend-
ing westward to the Lualaba, the two principal being
the Rugunsi and Rumuna rivers. Mirimo is a popu-
lous settlement, and its people are good-natured.
The boatmen did not arrive at all on this day, the
obstacles having been too great, but on the 12th, about
noon, they appeared, utterly disheartened at the delays
which had deprived them of their food and rest.
On the 13th we moved to Wanekamankua, crossing
en route the Kariba river and two small streams.
Our next march was to Wane-Mbeza, in Uregga, eight
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SUFFERINGS IN " THE PAGANS* FORESTS 137
miles in a north-westerly direction. We crossed the isre.
Kipembw^, a river 40 yards wide, deep and swift, which ^^' ^^
flows westward. Mbe^
Uregga, it appears, occupies a broad belt of country
lying north-east and south-west. Its people know
nothing of the immediate settlements contiguous to
them, and though within twenty miles of the Lualaba,
many adult males at Wane-Mbeza had never seen it.
They have been imprisoned now for some five or six
generations within their almost impenetrable forest
fastnesses, and the difficulty of travelling, and the
danger that would be incurred unless they united in
strong bands, are the causes of their knowing nothing
of the world outside, and the outside world knowing
nothing of them.
The Wangwana began at this place to murmur
loudly, while the boatmen, though assisted by a dozen
supernumeraries and preceded by a gang of pioneers,
were becoming perfectly savage ; but the poor fellows
had certainly cause for discontent. I pitied them from
my soul, yet I dared not show too great a solicitude,
lest they should have presumed upon it, and requested
me either to return to Nyangw^ or to bum my boat.
Even Tippu-Tib, whom I anxiously watched, as on
him I staked all my hopes and prospects, murmured.
Sheikh Abdullah was heard to growl ominously, and
Bwana Ibrahim was particularly severe in his remarks
upon "the pagans* forest.'* The evil atmosphere
created sickness in the Arab escort, but all my people
maintained their health, if not their temper.
At this camp we parted from Bwana Shokka and his
300, who were about to penetrate some eight or ten
marches more to the north-east to Tata country. I
have a suspicion that " Tata " is not a proper name, but
that it simply signifies *' farther in."
On the 15th we marched six miles and a half to
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138 THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1876. Wane-Kirumbu. From this village, which, like all
N^T. 15. ^^^ villages that we had passed, crowned a hill, we
Kirumbn. obtained the most extended view we had enjoyed since
entering the forest. Towards the north and north-east
the outlook was over a jumble of forest-clad hills
separating narrow and deep valleys. The view was
indeed most depressing and portentous.
Our march, short as it was, was full of incidents.
The constant slush and reek which the heavy dews
caused in the forest through which we had travelled the
last ten days had worn my shoes out, and half of the march
I travelled with naked feet. I had then to draw out of
my store my last pair of shoes. Frank was already
using his last pair. Yet we were still in the very centre
of the continent. What should we do when all were
gone ? was a question which we asked of each other often.
The faces of the people, Arabs, Wangwana, Wan-
yamwezi, and the escort, were quite a study at this
camp. All their courage was oozing out, as day by
day we plodded through the doleful, dreary forest.
We saw a python 10 feet long, a green viper, and a
monstrous puff-adder on this march, besides scores of
monkeys, of the white-necked or glossy black species,
as also the small grey, and the large howling baboons.
We heard also the " soko " or chimpanzee, and saw one
'* nest " belonging to it in the fork of a tall bombax.
A lemur was also observed ; its loud harsh cries made
each night hideous.
The path presented myriapedes, black and brown,
6 inches in length; while beetles were innumerable,
and armies of the deep brown *• hot-water " ants com-
pelled us to be cautious how we stepped.
The difficulties of such travel as we had now com-
menced may be imagined when a short march of six
miles and a half occupied the twenty-four men who
were carrying the boat sections an entire day, and so
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TIPPU'TIB BBEAK8 DOWN. 139
fatigued them that we had to halt another day at i876.
Wane-Kirumbu, to recruit their exhausted strength. ^^' ^^'
The terrible undergrowth that here engrossed all the Kirumbu,
space under the shade of the pillared borabax and
mast-like mvule was a miracle of vegetation. It con-
sisted of ferns, spear-grass, water-cane, and orchidaceous
plants, mixed with wild vines, cable thicknesses of the
Ficus elastica, and a sprinkling of mimosas, acacias,
tamarinds ; llianes, palms of various species, wild date,
Raphia tnnifera, the elais, the fan, rattans, and a
hundred other varieties, all struggling for every inch
of space, and swarming upward with a luxuriance and
density that only this extraordinary hothouse atmo-
sphere could nourish. We had certainly seen forests
before, but this scene was an epoch in our lives ever
to be remembered for its bitterness; the gloom en-
hanced the dismal misery of our life ; the slopping
moisture, the unhealthy reeking atmosphere, and the
monotony of the scenes ; nothing but the eternal inter-
laced branches, the tall aspiring stems, rising from a
tangle through which we had to burrow and crawl like
wild animals, on hands and feet.
About 9 A.M. Tippu-Tib and the Arabs came to my
hut at Wane-Kirumbu. After a long preamble, wherein
he described the hardships of the march, Tippu-Tib
concluded by saying that he had come to announce
his wish that our contract should be dissolved !
In a moment it flashed on my mind that a crisis
had arrived. Was the Expedition to end here? I
urged with all my powers the necessity for keeping
engagements so deliberately entered into.
" It is of no use," Tippu-Tib replied, " to have two
tongues. Look at it how you may, those sixty camps
will occupy us at the rate we are travelling over a
year, and it will take as much time to return. I never
was in this forest before, and I had no idea there was
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140 THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
i87«. such a place in the world ; but the air is killing my
^Wwi!^ people, it is insuiferable. You will kill your own people
Kirambnu if you go ou. They are grumbling every day more
and more. This country was not made for travel ; it
was made for vile pagans, monkeys, and wild beasts.
I cannot go farther."
" Will Tippu-Tib then return to Nyangw^, and break
his word and bond ? What will all the Arabs at Nyang-
w^, Mwana Mamba, and Kasongo*s say when they
hear that Tippu-Tib, who was the first Arab to pene-
trate Rua, proceeded only a few days with his friend,
and then returned?"
" Show me a man's work, and I will do it."
" Well, look here, Tippu-Tib. The land on the west
bank of the Lualaba is more open than this, and the
road that Mtagamoyo took to go to the Lumami is on
that side. Though the land is more open, I hear that
the people are worse there than on this side. How-
ever, we are not Mtagamoyo, and they may behave
better with us. Let us try the other side.
" Now, I will give you choice of two contracts. Ac-
company me to the river, and wait while I transport
my people across, and I will give you 500 dollars ; or
accompany me twenty marches farther along the west
bank, and I will give you 2600 dollars. At the end of
that time, if you see your way clear, I will engage you
for another journey, until I am quite satisfied that
I can go no farther. Provisions will be given your
people until we part, and from that point back to
Nyangwe."
For two hours I plied him with arguments, and at
last, when I was nearly exhausted, Tippu-Tib consented
to accompany me twenty marches farther, beginning
from the camp we were then in. It was a fortunate
thing indeed for me that he agreed to this, as his
return so close to Nyangwe in the present dispirited
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TEE VILLAGE BLACKSMITH. 141
condition of my people's minds would have undoubtedly istb.
ensured the destruction of all my hopes. ^**^- ^^•
The natives of Uregga are not liberally disposed, Kirttmtu.
Wane-Kirumbu*s chief was the first who consented to
exchange gifts with me. He presented me with a
chicken and some bananas, and I reciprocated the gift
with five cowries, which he accepted without a murmur.
On witnessing this pleasing and most uncommon trait
of moderation, I presented him with ten more, which
appeared to him so bounteous that he left my presence
quite afiected, indeed almost overcome by his emotions
of gratitude.
The men of these forest communities of Uregga,
upon the decease of their wives, put on symbols of
mourning, namely, a thick daub of charcoal paste over
the face, which they retain for five "years" — two
and a half European years. Widows also mourn
for their husbands a like period, with the same dis-
figurement of features, but with the addition of bands
of sere leaf of the banana round the forehead. In
Uzimba and Manyema, of North Laama districts, the
mourning only lasts two native years, or one European
year.
At Wane-Kirumbu we found a large native forge
and smithy, where there were about a dozen smiths
busily at work. The iron ore is very pure. Here
were the broad-bladed spears of Southern Uregga, and
the equally broad knives of all sizes, from the small
waist-knife, an inch and a half in length, to the heavy
Eoman sword-like cleaver. The bellows for the smelt-
ing furnace are four in number, double-handled, and
manned by four men, who, by a quick up and down
motion, supply a powerful blast, the noise of which is
heard nearly half a mile from the scene. The furnace
consists of tamped clay, raised into a mound about
4 feet high. A hollow is then excavated in it, 2 feet
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142
THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1876. in diameter and 2 feet deep. From the middle of the
^^' ^^* slope four apertures are excavated into the base of
Kirumbu. the fumace, into which are fitted funnel-shaped earthen-
ware pipes to convey the blasts to the fire. At the
base of the mound a wide aperture for the hearth is
excavated, penetrating below the furnace. The hearth
receives the dross and slag.
A FORGE AND SMITHY AT WAHK-KIBUMBU, UBEGGA.
Close hy stood piled up mat-sacks ot charcoal, with
a couple of boys ready to supply the fuel, and about
two yards off was a smaller smithy, where the iron was
shaped into hammers, axes, war-hatchets, spears, knives,
swords, wire, iron balls with spikes, leglets, armlets,
and iron beads, &c. The art of the blacksmith is of a
high standard in these forests, considering the loneliness
of the inhabitants. The people have much traditional
lore, and it appears from the immunity which they
have enjoyed in these dismal retreats that from one
Digitized by VjOOQ IC
80K0 SKULLS— THE MISSING LINJr. 143
generation to another something has been communi- isze.
cated and learned, showing that even the jungle man is J^^^' ^^*
a progressive and an improvable animal.
On the I7th of November we crossed several lofty
hilly ridges, separated by appallingly gloomy ravines,
through which several clear streams flowed westward,
and after a march of eleven miles north-westerly through
the dank, dripping forests, arrived at Kampunzu, in the
district of Uvinza, where dwell the true aborigines of
the forest country.
Kampunzu village is about five hundred yards in
length, formed of one street thirty feet wide, flanked
on each side by a straight, symmetrical, and low block
of houses, gable-roofed. Several small villages in the
neighbourhood are of the same pattern.
The most singular feature of Kampunzu village
were two rows of skulls ten feet apart, running along
the entire length of the village, imbedded about two
inches deep in the ground, the " cerebral hemispheres "
uppermost, bleached, and glistening white from weather.
The skulls were 186 in number in this one village. To
me they appeared to be human, though many had an
extraordinary projection of the posterior lobes, others
of the parietal bones, and the frontal bones were un-
usually low and retreating; yet the sutures and the
general aspect of the greatest number of them were so
similar to what I believed to be human, that it was
almost with an indifferent air that I asked my chiefs
and Arabs what these skulls were. They replied,
** sokos ** — chimpanzees (?).
" Sokos from the forest ?"
" Certainly,'* they all replied.
" Bring the chief of Kampunzu to me immediately,**
I said, much interested now because of the wonderful
reports of them that Livingstone had given me, as
also the natives of Manyema.
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byG00gl(
KampunzQ.
144 THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1876. The chief of Kampunzu — a tall, strongly built man
Nov. 17. ^£ about thirty-five years of age — appeared, and I
asked,
" My friend, what are those things with which you
adorn the street of your village ? "
He replied, " Nyama " (meat).
** Nyama ! Nyama of what ? '*
" Nyama of the forest."
" Of the forest ! What kind of thing is this Nyama
of the forest ? "
"It is about the size of this boy," pointing to
Mabruki, my gun-bearer, who was 4 feet 10 inches in
height. "He walks like a man, and goes about
with a stick, with which "he beats the trees in the
forest, and makes hideous noises. The Nyama eat
our bananas, and we hunt them, kill them, and eat
them."
** Are they good eating ?" I asked.
He laughed, and replied that they were very good.
" Would you eat one if you had one now ?"
" Indeed I would. Shall a man refuse meat ?"
" Well, look here. I have one hundred cowries here.
Take your men, and catch one, and bring him to me
alive or dead. I only want his skin and head. You
may have the meat."
Kampunzu's chief, before he set out with his men,
brought me a portion of the skin of one, which probably
covered the back. The fur was dark grey, an inch long,
with the points inclined to white ; a line of darker hair
marked the spine. This, he assured me, was a portion
of the skin of a " soko." He also showed me a cap
made out of it, which I purchased.
The chief returned about evening unsuccessful from
the search. He wished us to remain two or three days
that he might set traps for the " sokes," as they would
be sure to visit the bananas at night. Not being able to
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BACKGAMMON TBAY.
PROFESSOR HUXLEY ON TEE SOKO SKULLS. 145
wait so many days, I obtained for a few cowries the i876.
skull of a male, and another of a female.* J^"*""* ^^*
In this village were also observed those carved
benches cut out of the Rubiaceae already mentioned,
backgammon trays,
and stools carved in
the most admirable
manner, all being
decorated around the
edges of the seats
with brass tacks and
*' soko teeth."
Copper appeared to be abundant with the Wavinza.
It was wound around their spear-staffs and encircled the
lower limbs, and arms, the handles of their knives,
walking-staffs, and hung from their necks in beads, and
small shot-like balls of it were fastened to their hair.
In addition to their short broad-bladed spears, the
Wavinza were armed with small but strong bows, the
strings of which were formed of strips of the rattan
cane. The arrows are about a foot in length, made of
reeds, pointed and smeared with vegetable poison.
• These two skulls were safely brought to England, and shown to
Professor Huxley, who has passed judgment upon them as follows :—
*' Of the two skulls submitted to me for examination, the one is that
of a man probably somewhat under thirty yeari of age, and the other
that of a woman over fifty.
"The man*s skull exhibits all the characteristic peculiarities of the
negro type, including a well-marked, but not unusual, degree of progna-
thism. In the female skull the only point worth notice is a somewhat
unusual breadth of the anterior nasal aperture in proportion to its height,
indicating that the nostrils may have been slightly farther apart, and the
extremity of the nose a little flatter than usual.
"In both skulls the cephalic index is 75. Nothing in these skulls
justifies the supposition that their original possessors differed in any
sensible degree from the ordinary African negro."
Professor Huxley, by the above, startles me with the ^proof that Kam-
punzu's people were cannibals, for at least one half of the number of
skulls seen by me bore the mark of a hatchet, which had been driven
into the head while the victims were alive.
VOL. II. — 10
Digitized
byG00gl(
146 TEBOUOE TEE DABK CONTINENT.
1876. The Wavinza do not employ iron heads. It requires a
Kam^unxn P^^^li^^* ®kill foF these weapons. The Wanyamwezi
bowmen were unable to shoot the arrows farther than
from fifty to seventy yards. An aboriginal, smiling at
their awkwardness, shot an arrow a distance of 200
yards. The natives boast that the slightest scratch is
suflBcient to doom even an elephant, for it is by this
means they have been able to obtain ivory for Molemba-
lemba (Dugumbi of Nyangw^).
Blood-brotherhood being considered as a pledge of
good-will and peace, Frank Pocock and the chief went
through the ordeal, and we interchanged presents.
From this village a path leads to Meginna and
Miango, near the Urindi river, on the south side of
which the Arabs say there is abundance of coal, " very
black and shining." A path also leads north-east to
Kirari, four hours', and Makongo, seven hours' distance
from Kampunzu. They also say that a two months'
journey east-north-east (magnetic) would bring us to
open country, where there is abundance of cattle.
The women of Uregga wear only aprons 4 inches
square, of bark or grass cloth, fastened by cords of palm
fibre. The men wear skins of civet, or monkey, in
front and rear, the tails downwards. It may have been
from a hasty glance of a rapidly disappearing form of
one of these people in the wild woods that native
travellers in the lake regions felt persuaded that they
had seen " men with tails."
The ficus trees, which supply Uganda, Unyamwezi,
Ukonongo, Goma, and Uregga with bark cloth, re-
gister the age of the respective settlements where they
are found, and may be said to be historical monuments
of the people which planted them. In Uddu-Uganda,
especially in Southern Uddu, I saw patriarchs which
must have been four or five hundred years old. If
a cloth-producing ficus is 2 feet in diameter, it may be
Digitized
byG00gl(
- THE LIVINQSTONEr 147
regarded as a monument of antiquity ; one 10 inches 187«.
in diameter as over a hundred years old ; one 6 inches ^^' ^^'
in diameter as over forty years. The oldest tree of livinq.
this species in Southern Uregga that I saw could not ^^^^
have exceeded eighty years.
On the 19th a march of five miles through the forest
west from Kampunzu brought us to the Lualaba, in south
latitude 3° 35', just forty-one geographical miles north
of the Arab depot Nyangw^. An afternoon observa-
tion for longitude showed east longitude 25^ 49'. The
name Lualaba terminates here. I mean to speak of it
henceforth as tue Livingstone.
We found, when twenty miles from the river, that
many of the Waregga had never seen it, though they
had heard of it as the Lu-al-ow-wa. Had not Living-
stone spoken of the river at Nyangw^ as the Lualaba,
I should not have mentioned the word except as a
corruption by the Waguha of the Wenya term Lu-al-
ow-wa, but as the river changes its name each time
after receiving an affluent, it would be useless to en-
deavour to retain so many names in the memory.
The Livingstone was 1200 yards wide from bank to
bank opposite the landing-place of Kampunzu. As
there were no people dwelling within a mile of the
right bank, we prepared to encamp. My tent was
pitched about thirty feet from the river, on a grassy
spot; Tippu-Tib and his Arabs were in the bushes;
while the 550 people of whom the Expedition consisted
began to prepare a site for their huts, by enlarging the
open space around the landing-place.
While my breakfast (for noon) was cooking, and my
tent was being drawn taut and made trim, a mat was
spread on a bit of short grass, soft as an English lawn, a
few yards from the water. Some sedgy reeds obstructed
my view, and as I wished while resting to watch the
river gliding by, I had them all cropped off short.
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148 TBROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1876. Frank and the Wangwana chiefs were putting the
^ lie ^ boat sections together in the rear of the camp ; I was
Uying. busy thinking, planning a score of things — what time
***'^** it would be best to cross tlie river, how we should
commence our acquaintance with the warlike tribes on
the left bank, what our future would be, how I should
succeed in conveying our large force across, and, in
the event of a determined resistance, what we should
do, &c.
Gentle as a summer's dream, the brown wave of
the great Livingstone flowed by ; broad and deep. On
the opposing bank loomed darkly against the sky
another forest, similar to the one which had harrowed
our souls. I obtained from my seat a magnificent
view of the river, flanked by black forests, gliding
along, with a serene grandeur and an unspeakable
majesty of silence about it that caused my heart to
yearn towards it.
"Downward it flows to the unknown ! to night-black
clouds of mystery and fable, mayhap past the lands of
the anthropoids, the pigmies, and the blanket-eared
men of whom the gentle pagan king of Karagwe
spoke, by leagues upon leagues of unexplored lands,
populous with scores of tribes, of whom not a whisper
has reached the people of other continents; perhaps
that ijibulous being the dread Macoco, of whom Barto-
lomeo Diaz, Cada Mosto, and Dapper have written, is
still represented by one who inherits his ancient king-
dom and power, and surrounded by barbarous pomp.
Something strange must surely lie in the vast space
occupied by total blankness on our maps, between
Nyangw^ and * Tuckey's Farthest !' "
"I seek a road to connect these two points. We
have laboured through the terrible forest, and manfully
struggled through the gloom. My people's hearts
have become faint. I seek a road. Why, here lies a
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TEE BOAD TO TEE OCEAN. 149
broad watery avenue cleaving the Unknown to some i876.
sea, like a path of light! Here are woods all around, ^*^^^^'
sufficient for a thousand fleets of canoes. Why not Living-
build them?" '*^"-
I sprang up; told the drummer to call to muster.
The people responded wearily to the call. Frank and
the chiefs appeared. The Arabs and their escort came
also, until a dense mass of expectant faces surrounded
me. I turned to them and said : —
" Arabs ! sons of Unyamwezi ! children of Zanzibar !
listen to words. We have seen the Mitamba of
Uregga. We have tasted its bitterness, and have
groaned in spirit. We seek a road. We seek some-
thing by which we may travel. I seek a path that
shall take me to the sea. * I have found it."
" Ah ! ah — h !" and murmurs and inquiring looks
at one another.
" Yes ! El hamd ul Illah. I have found it. Regard
this mighty river. From the beginning it has flowed
on thus, as you see it flow to-day. It has flowed on in
silence and darkness. Whither ? To the Salt Sea, as
all rivers go ! By that Salt Sea, on which the great
ships come and go, live my friends and your friends.
Do they not?"
Cries of "Yes! yes!"
"Yet, my people, though this river is so great, so
wide and deep, no man has ever penetrated the
distance lying between this spot on which we stand
and our white friends who live by the Salt Sea. Why ?
Because it was left for us to do."
"Ah, no! no! no!" and desponding shakes of the
head.
" Yes," I continued, raising my voice ; " I tell you,
my friends, it has been left from the beginning of time
until to-day for us to do. It is our work, and no
other. It is the voice of Fate ! The One God has
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stone.
150 TEBOUGH TEE DARK CONTINENT.
1876. written that this year the river shall be known through-
^ The ^ out its length ! We will have no more Mitambas ; we
Uring- will have no more panting and groaning by the way-
side ; we will have no more hideous darkness ; we will
take to the river, and keep to the river. To-day I shall
launch my boat on that stream, and it shall never
leave it until I finish my work, I swear it.
**Now, you Wangwana! You who have followed
me through Turn, and sailed around the great lakes
with me ; you, who have followed me, like children fol-
lowing their father, through Unyoro, and down to
Ujiji, and as far as this wild, wild land, will you leave
me here ? Shall I and my white brother go alone ?
Will you go back and tell my friends that you left me
in this wild spot, and cast me adrift to die ? Or will
you, to whom I have been so kind, whom I love as I
would love my children, will you bind me, and take
me back by force ? Speak, Arabs ? Where are my
young men, with hearts of lions ? Speak, Wangwana,
and show me those who dare follow me ? '*
Uledi, the coxswain, leaped upward, and then sprang
towards me, and kneeling grasped my knees, and said,
" Look on me, my master ! I am one I I will follow
you to death !" "And I," Kacheche cried ; **and I, and
I, and I,** shouted the boat's crew.
" It is well. I knew I had friends. You then who
have cast your lot with me stand on one side, and let
me count you."
There were thirty-eight! Ninety-five stood still,
and said nothing.
"I have enough. Even with you, my friends, I
shall reach the sea. But there is plenty of time. We
have not yet made our canoes. We have not yet
parted with the Arabs. We have yet a long distance
to travel with Tippu-Tib. We may meet with good
people, from whom we may buy canoes. And by
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tione.
TIMID COUNSELS. 151
the time we part I am sure that the ninety-five i876.
men now fearing to go with iis will not leave their ^!I^^^'
brothers, and their master and his white brother, to go Living-
down the river without them. Meantime I give you
many thanks, and shall not forget your names."
The assembly broke up, and each man proceeded
about his special duties. Tippu-Tib, Sheikh Abdallah,
and Muini Ibrahim sat on the mat, and commenced
to try to persuade mo not to be so rash, and to
abandon all idea of descending the river. In my
turn I requested them not to speak like children,
and, however they might think, not to disclose their
fears to the Wangwana ; but rather to encourage them
to do their duty, and share the dangers with me,
because the responsibility was all my own, and the
greatest share of danger would be mine; and that
I would be in front to direct and guide, and save,
and for my own sake as well as for their sake would
be prudent.
In reply, they spoke of cataracts and cannibals, and
warlike tribes. They depreciated the spirit of the
Wangwana, and declaimed against men who were
once slaves; refused to concede one virtue to them,
either of fidelity, courage, or gratitude, and predicted
that the end would be death to all.
"Speak no more, Tippu-Tib. You who have tra-
velled all your life among slaves have not yet learned
that there lies something good in the heart of every
man that God made. Men were not made all bad, as
•you say. For God is good, and He made all men. I
have studied my people ; I know them and their ways.
It will be my task to draw the good out of them while
they are with me ; and the only way to do it is to be
good to them, for good produces good. -As you value
my friendship, and hope to receive money from me, be
silent. Speak not a word of fear to my people, and
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152 TEROUOE TEE DARK CONTINENT.
1876. when we part, I shall make known my name to yotu
Nov; 19. rp^ ^^^^ ^^^ ^^ ^jj ^j^^ ^^^ ^^ friends, I shall be * the
Living- white man with the open hand.* But if not, then I
•'"'^•- shall be * Kipara-moto; "
While I had been speaking, a small canoe with two
men was seen advancing from the opposite bank. One
of the interpreters was called, and told to speak to
them quietly, and to ask them to bring canoes to take
us across.
"Ndugu, 0 ndugu** (** Brother, 0 brother"), the
interpreter hailed them, " we are friends ; we wish to
cross the river. Bring your canoes and take us to the
other side, and we will give you plenty of shells and
beads.'*
" Who are you ? **
*' We are Warungwana '* ( Wangwana).
« Where from ? "
** From Nyangw^.**
** Ah, you are Wasambye ! ** (the uncircumcised).
** No ; we have a white man with us as chief, and
he is kind.'*
'* If he fills my canoe with shells, I will go and tell
the Wenya that you want to cross the river."
** We cannot give so much as that, but we will give
ten shells for each man."
" We want a thousand shells for each man, or you
shall never cross the river."
'• Ah, but, Ndugu, that is too mucn ; come, we will
give you twenty shells for each.'*
** Not for ten thousand, brother. We do not want
you to cross the river. Go back, Wasambye ; you are
bad 1 Wasambye are bad, bad, bad ! The river is deep,
Wasambye ! Go back, Wasambye ; you are bad, bad !
The river is deep, Wasambye ! You have not wings,
Wasamb}'e ! Go back, Wasambye ! **
After saying which they sang the wildest, weirdest
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^^OOE'EU, OOH'EU'EU-EUl'* 153
note I ever heard, and sent it pealing across the ^^\^
river. " Ooh-hu, ooh-hu-hu-hu ! '* In response we The *
heard hundreds of voices sing out a similar note — ^J^°^'
'' Ooh-hu, ooh-hu-hu-hu ! '*
** That is a war-cry, master,** said the interpreter.
** Nonsense, don't be foolish. What cause is there
for war ? '*
" These wild people do not need cause ; they are
simply wild beasts.**
*'I will prove to you before two hours you are
wrong," I said.
By the time I had finished my breakfast the Lady
Alice was in the river, and a loud shout of applause
greeted her appearance on her natural element.
The boat's crew, with TJledi as coxswain, and Tippu-
Tib, Sheikh Abdallah, Muini Ibrahim, Bwana Abed
(the guide), Muini Jumah, and two interpreters and
myself as passengers, entered the boat. We were rowed
up the river for half an hour, and then struck across to
a small island in mid-stream. With the aid of a glass
1 examined the shores, which from our camp appeared
to be dense forest. We saw that there were about
thirty canoes tied to the bank, and amongst the trees I
detected several houses. The bank was crowded with
human beings, who were observing our movements.
We re-entered our boat, and pulled straight across to
the left bank, then floated down slowly with the current,
meantime instructing the interpreters as to what they
should say to the Wenya.
When we came opposite, an interpreter requested
them to take a look at the white man who had come to
visit their country, who wished to make friends with
them, who would give them abundance of shells, and
allow none of his men to appropriate a single banana,
or do violence to a single soul ; not a leaf would be
taken, nor a twig burned, without being paid for.
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Wenya
154 THROUGH THE DABK CONTINENT.
1876. The natives, gazing curiously at me, promised after a
^x7ll^' consultation, that if we made blood-brotherhood with
them there should be no trouble, and that for this pur-
pose the white chief accompanied by ten men, should
proceed early next morning to the island, where he
would be met by the chief of the Wenya and his ten
men, and that after the ceremony, all the canoes should
cross and assist to carry our people to their country.
After thanking them, we returned to camp, highly
elated with our success. At 4 a.m., however, the boat
secretly conveyed twenty men with Kacheche, who
had orders to hide in the brushwood, and, returning to
camp at 7 a.m., conveyed Frank and ten men, who
were to perforrii the ceremony of brotherhood, to the
island. On its return, I entered the boat, and was
rowed a short way up stream along the right bank,
so that, in case of treachery, I might be able to reach
the island within four minutes to lend assistance.
About 9 A.M. six canoes full of men were seen to
paddle to the island. We saw them arrive before it,
and finally to draw near. Earnestly and anxiously I
gazed through my glass at every movement. Other
canoes were seen advancing to the island. It was well,
I thought, that Frank had his reserve hidden so close
at hand. A few seconds after the latest arrivals had
appeared on the scene, I saw great animation, and
almost at once those curious cries came pealing up the
river. There were animated shouts, and a swaying
of bodies, and, unable to wait longer, we dashed towards
the island, and the natives on seeing us approach
paddled quickly to their landing-place.
" Well, Frank. What was the matter ?'• I asked.
" I never saw such wretches in my life, sir. When
that last batch of canoes came, their behaviour, which
was decent before, changed. They surrounded m. Half
of them remained in the canoes ; those on land began
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Wenya.
SUCCESSFUL DIPLOMACY. 155
to abuse us violently, handling their spears, and acting 1876.
so furiously tliat if we had not risen with our guns ^**^*^^
ready they would have speared us as we were silting
down waiting to begin the ceremony. But Kacheche,
seeing their wild behaviour and menacing gestures,
advanced quietly from the brushwood with his men, on
seeing which they ran to their canoes, where they held
their spears ready to launch when you came.**
" Well,' no harm has been done yet," 1 replied ; " so
rest where you are, while I take Kach^ch^ and his
men across to their side, where a camp will be formed ;
because, if we delay to-day crossing, we shall have
half of the people starving by to-morrow morning."
After embarking Kacheche, we steered for a point in
the woods above the native village, and, landing thirty
men with axes, proceeded to form a small camp, which
might serve as a nucleus until we should be enabled to
transport the Expedition. We then floated down river
opposite the village, and, with the aid of an interpreter,
explained to them that as we had already landed thirty
men in their country, it would be far better that they
should assist us in the ferriage, for which they might
feel assured they would be well paid. At the same
time I tossed a small bag of beads to them. In a few
minutes they consented, and six canoes, with two men
in each, accompanied us to camp. The six canoes and
the boat conveyed eighty people safely to the left bank ;
and then other canoes, animated by the good understand-
ing that seemed to prevail between us, advanced to
assist, and by night every soul associated with our
Expedition was rejoicing by genial camp-fires in the
villages of the Wenya,
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156 TUEOUQE TEE DABK COHiTINENT.
CHAPTER VI.
" Mama, the Wasambye ! •*— The fight in the Ruiki — The lost, fotind —
Dangerous disobedience — In the nick of time — A sayage captive —
Music hath charms — In the haunts of Nature — A town of one
street — Deserted villages — Organizing a hospital — An island
wasted by lightning— "The people of the filed teeth'* — Primitive
salt-making — Hostages captured — At close quarters — Baining
arrows — "Bo-bo, bo-bo, bo-bo-o-o-oh 1 " — A desperate aflfair and
opportune reinforcements — Cutting the canoes adrift — Tippu-Tib
deserts me — My appeal to the "sea children" — Christmas Day
among the cannibalB — " Victory or death 1 "
1878. We had hoped to pass our first day in the Wenya land
^^•^^V in kindly intercliange of gifts, and engaging the wild
hearts of the natives by ostentatious liberality. But lo !
when we searched in the morning for the aborigines
they were gone !
Many a village stood in the neighbourhood of the
main landing, embowered in the thick shade of tamarind
and bombax, teak, iron-wood, and elais palm, but the
inhabitants were fled! Each village street had its
two rows of bleached trophies of eaten humanity, with
an attempt at a ghastly decoration similar to " rockery/'
The canoes were all left at the landing-place; the
fruit of the banana and the plantain hung on the stalks,
and the crimson palm-nuts swayed in clusters above our
heads, but word was given to our people that nothing
should be touched on penalty of fearful punishment.
It was absolutely necessary that our introduction to
the Wenya tribe should be heralded by peaceful inter-
course. We therefore rested, and sent people round
about with shells to purchase food for their respective
messes. Only Kachech^ and Murabo, one of the boat*
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W«iij«,
""MAMA. THE WA84MBTE r 157
bojs, succeeded in reaching an inhabited village, but isre.
no sooner were they seen than they had to run for ^^^'^^
their lives back to camp.
Leaving everything untouched, we departed from
this first village of the Wenya. My boat floated down
river with thirty-three people on board according to
agreement, with Frank, Tippu-Tib, and the land party
following the river-bank, until we should arrive at a
village where we might purchase food.
From the villages below, at least from many, long
before we had floated abreast of them, rang out the
strange war-cries, "Ooh-hu-hul Ooh-hu-hu!" and the
natives decamped into the bush, leaving everything
they possessed in situ. This was only to lure us to our
destruction, for had we been tempted to capture their
goat^ and black pigs, they would no doubt have rushed
from the bushes on the unwary. We, however, were
not to be thus tempted to felony and our destruction,
and quietly floated down past them.
We then came abreast of a forest, uninhabited, and
about three miles in length, and after that sighted a
plantation of bananas. We could see the tops of the
low gable-roofed houses, but none of the natives des-
cried us until we were within a hundred yards of
a large and wealthy village. Then a little child,
coming down the high banks to fetch water, suddenly
lifting her head, saw us close to the landing, and
screamed out, *' Mama, the Wasambye ! the Wasambye
are coming
f »'
At the name, which seemed to be a dreaded one —
no doubt because of Mtagamoyo and his uncircumcised
Wanyamwezi — the people, who, it seemed, were holding
a market, scattered immediately, the women screaming,
" Wasambye 1 Wasambye ! " and the banana stalk and
bushes shaking violently, as everybody in a panic flew
into the jungle, like a herd of buffaloes stung to frenzy
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158 THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1876. by a fly pest. By the time we had glided down a few
^nLkL* P^^^® beyond the landing there was a deathly silence.
We passed by three or four other villages, but the
inhabitants simply responded to our attempts at inter-
course by protruding their heads from the bushes and
shouting " Ooh-hu-hu ! Ooh-hu-hu ! Ooh-hu-hu ! "
At 3 P.M. we came to the Ruiki river, which at the
mouth was about 100 yards wide, a black and sluggish
stream, with an average depth of about twelve feet.
As the land division would be unable to cross this
stream without the aid of a boat, we camped at a point
between the right bank and the left bank of the Living-
stone, in east longitude 25° 33' ^nd south latitude
3° 26'.
We halted on the 23rd November, awaiting the
arrival of the land division, and meanwhile built a
strong camp. We saw several forms on the opposite
side of the Ruiki, in the village of chief Kasongo, but
they would not deign to answer us, though our inter-
preter made frequent attempts to induce them to con-
verse. Our party was only thirty-six in number,
including myself, and we had but a few bananas, which
had been obtained at Kampunzu. Before we could
hope to purchase anything from the natives an inter-
course of some kind had to be opened. But the
aborigines, for some reason, persisted in their dis-
trustful reserve. However, we waited patiently for
the land force until sunset, and all night. maintained a
strict watch lest our boat should be stolen.
Early on the 24th, no news having as yet arrived of
our friends, I manned the boat and rowed some ten
miles up the Ruiki river, hoping to find them encamped
on the bank waiting for us. The general course of the
river, though very winding, was from south-west to
north-east. A few miles above its mouth it is filled
with snags, and becomes narrow, crooked, and swift, and
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Hot. 24.
Ruikt
TEE FIQET IN THE RUIKI. 159
of an inky colour, from a particular tree, whose branches 1876.
droop in dense masses into the stream.
About 2 P.M. we began to return, and, after rowing
hard for about an hour and a half, were approaching
our lonely camp when we heard guns being fired
rapidly. Unless as a measure of defence there could be
no earthly reason why the men in the camp should fire
their guns. We therefore urged the crew to full speed,
and in a short time were astonished to see the mouth
of the Ruiki blocked with canoes filled with savages,
launching spears and shooting arrows.
With a loud shout we dashed down the last straight
reach of the Ruiki, which attracted the attention of the
savages, who immediately turned and fled down stream,
uttering in harmonious but weird concord their strange
war-cries.
After first learning that no one was wounded, though
there were several sheaves of iron-headed and wooden
spears, besides reed arrows, in the camp, we inquired
the cause of the attack, and heard with astonishment that
the people of Kasongo's had signalled to all the neigh-
bouring villages that the " Nwema " (white chief) was
gone away, and had invited them to arm and man their
canoes to get meat before he should return. About
thirty canoes, manned by a great number of savages, had
entered the Ruiki, and, without listening to warning,
had persisted in advancing on the camp, until fired
upon. They had been engaged only a few minutes
before I appeared.
Billali, the youth in charge of the heavy rifle, and my
factotum on hunting excursions, had shot a man, who
lay dead in the stream. When asked how he dared to
use my guns to shoot people, he replied with alarm, " I
could not help it, sir, indeed I could not. If I had
waited but a little minute, he would have killed me, for
he was aiming with his spear only a few feet oflF! *'
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160 THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT,
1876. Night came, but with it no tidings of the land party.
^Rv ^^ listened all through the dark hours for the sound of
signal gun-shots, but none cheered us. In the early
morning I despatched Uledi, the coxswain, and five of
the younger boatmen, through 'the jungles, with a
caution to observe the villages, and by no means to risk
an unequal contest with people, who would dog them
through the bushes like leopards. Uledi, with a calm
smile, bade me rest assured : he was confident he would
soon find them. They set out, leaving us alone to
indulge in gloomy thoughts.
WAR HATCHET OF UKU8U. STOOL OF UKUSU.
At 4 P.M. we heard the roar of a musket-shot through
the forest, and soon Uledi emerged from the jungle
behind us, his face all aglow with triumph. " They are
coming, master, close by," he said.
True enough, the advanced-guard appeared in a few
seconds, and presently the column, weary, haggard,
sick, and low-spirited. The people had been wander-
ing. Having found a road, they followed it, till they
came upon a tribe, who attacked them with arrows, and
killed three of them. They retaliated, and the ajivanced-
guard captured one of the assailants, and asked what
tribe he belonged to. "The Bakusu," he had said,
" and the great river is a long way east of you."
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TEE LOST FOUND.
161
They compelled him to show the way, and, after
some fifteen hours' marching from the place of the
fight, they had met with gallant Uledi and his scouting
party, and had hurried after him.
Within four hours the boat had transported the
entire party to the left bank of the Ruiki. I was here
compelled to relax the rigour of the command that no
one should appropriate food without payment, for the
suffering of the people was excessive.
1876.
Nov. 26.
Nakan-
pemba.
VIEW BETWEEN THE BUIKI KSD NAKANPEMBA.
On the 26th, we floated down river to Nakanpemba,
the land division on this day keeping close to the river,
and though it was buried frequently in profound
depths of jungle, we were able to communicate with
it occasionally by means of drum-taps.
The river had widened gradually to 1700 yards, and
was studded with large tree-clad islands, both banks
presenting dense masses of tall woods and under-
growth.
Not a soul had been seen in any of the villages
VOL. u. — 11
J by Google
Digitized t
162 THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1876. passed through; now and then we heard screams of
Nov. 26. u Wasambye ! Wasambye !" and sometimes we heard
p^ba! voices crying out something about Bwana Muhala, or
Mtagamoyo, the notorious land-pirate and kidnapper.
Nakanpemba possessed also its dreadful relics, arranged
in ghastly hues along the streets — relics of many a
feast, as Professor Huxley has now taught us, on dead
humanity.
The march through the jungles and forests, the
scant fare, fatigue, and consequent suffering, resulted
in sickness. Small-pox and dysentery attacked the land
division. Thorns had also penetrated the feet and
wounded the legs of many of the people, until dreadful
ulcers had been formed, disabling them from travel.
In the course of two days' journey we found six
abandoned canoes, which, though unsound, we appro-
priated and repaired, and, lashing them together,
formed a floating hospital.
Four miles below Nakanpemba, as we were gliding
down at the rate of IJ knot per hour, we heard the
dull murmur of rapids, and from the opposite bank
eight canoes were seen to dash swiftly down river,
disappearing most mysteriously from view. There
being no necessity for us to seek acquaintance with
people who appeared to think it undesirable, we did
not attempt to disturb them, but, clinging to the left
bank, cautiously approached the rapids of Ukassa.
These were caused by a ledge of greenish shale, mixed
with ironstone and pudding rock, projecting from the
Ukassa Hills on the right bank. The hospital was
warned in-shore, while I dropped down, as near as
possible, to the rapids and there landed.
The land division was requested to encamp for the
day abreast the rapids, while, selecting ten stout young
fellows, in addition to the boat's crew, I proceeded to
explore along the river ; but, before departing, I gave
Digitized
byG00gl(
Ukassa.
DANGEROUS DISOBEDIENCE. 163
the strictest orders to Frank and Manwa Sera that j876.
upon no account should any one be permitted to move ^®^' ^*
from the camp until I returned.
The rapids were parted by a couple of two long
rocky islets running parallel and separated from each
other and the left bank by two narrow streams, which
descended into a quiet, creek-like portion of the river
after a fall of 10 feet within half a mile, but on the
eastern side the river was of a breadth of 800 yards,
and descended with a furious whirl for the distance
of a mile and a half, where it was joined by the quiet
flowing creek on the left or western side.
We continued. our inspection of the shore and river
for about two miles, where we very nearly fell into an
ambuscade. In a little creek, hidden by high over-
hanging banks, densely clothed, were some forty or fifty
small canoes, the crews all seated, silent, and watching
the river. We instantly retreated without disturbing
their watchful attitude, and hurried to camp.
On arriving at the boat I was alarmed at hearing
that Frank had permitted Manwa Sera, the chief, and
five others, to detach two of the hospital canoes, and to
descend the great rapids. As this was a suicidal act,
I felt my blood nm cold, and then recollecting the
ambuscade in the creek, I lost no time in selecting
fifty men and retracing our steps.
When we reached the creek, we ascertained it to be
empiy. I then offered high rewards to the first scout
who sighted the Wang^wana. Uledi and Shumari, his
brother, gave wild yells, and dashed forward like ante-
lopes through the jungle, Saywa (their cousin) and
Murabo hard after them. With startling echoes some
gun-shots soon rang through the forest. Away we
tore through the jungle in the direction of the sounds.
We came in sight of the river, and heard the rifles
close to us. In mid-stream were the five Wangwana
Digitized
byG00gl(
Ukassa.
164 THROUGH THE DABK CONTINENT.
1876. riding on the keels of the upset canoes, attacked by
^* ^^ half a dozen native canoes, Uledi and his comrades
had without hesitation opened fire upon them, and
thus saved the doomed men. We soon had the
gratification of receiving them on shore, but four
Snider rifles were lost. The party, it appeai-ed, had
been swept into a whirlpool, drawn down, and ejected
out of it several feet below the dreadful whirl. This
disobedience to orders, which had entailed on me such
a loss of valuable rifles, when I was already so weakly
armed, on themselves such a narrow escape, besides
bringing us into collision with the natives, was punished
by well-merited reproaches — so keenly felt moreover
that Manwa Sera proceeded to Tippu-TiVs camp, and
sent word to me that he would not serve me any longer.
I laughed, and returned word to him that I was sure
he would. To Frank I solemnly protested against such
breach of duty, as life or death now depended on the
faithful execution of instructions.
Tippu-Tib and the Arabs advanced to me for a
shauri. They wished to know whether I would not now
abandon the project of continuing down the river — ^now
that things appeared so gloomy, with rapids before us,
natives hostile, cannibalism rampant, small-pox raging,
people dispirited, and Manwa Sera sulky. " What
prospects,*' they asked, " lie before us but terrors, and
fatal collapse and ruin? Better turn back in time.**
I told them to be resigned until the morning. They
returned to their camp, which was about half a mile
from the vicinity of the rapids.
Early next day the Wangwana were mustered. They
lifted the boat out of the water above their heads, and
cautiously conveyed her in about an hour below the
rapids, and launched her on the quiet waters of the
creek. Then a messenger was despatched to order
Safeni to push the four remaining canoes into the
Digitized
byG00gl(
Not. 29.
Mbnrn.
A SAVAGE CAPTIVE. 165
rapids. Within an hour the rapids of Ukassa had i876.
been passed.
As there was abundance of time yet, it being only
three in the afternoon, and I burned to know
whether any more falls were below the rocky islets,
I started down river with twenty men in the four
canoes to explore. In about an hour we came to
exceedingly swift rough water, much whirling and
eddying, but no rapids ; then, satisfied that there was
no immediate prospect of meeting impediments to
navigation, we started on our return, and arrived at
camp at sunset, after an exceedingly eventful day.
On the 29th we moved down river four miles to
Ml»urri, on the left bank, which is opposite Vinarunga,
which is a large settlement of Wenya villages on the
right bank. From our camp compass bearings showed
Ukassa or Ussi Hills on right bank to be south-south-
west (magnetic).
Just as we were retiring for the night, a canoe
came down river, and cautiously made its way towards
the boat. Shumari, the young brother of Uledi,
who was on guard, waited until it was well within
shote, and then suddenly seized the canoe-man, calling
for assistance on the ever-ready boat's crew. The
native was secured, and carried in before me; and
when lights were brought we saw he was an old
man bent almost double with age. His face was
one of the most vicious my memory can recall. I
presented him with about a dozen cowries, which
he snatched from me as a surly dog might bite at
a piece of meat from a stranger's hand. He was a
true savage, hardened by wildness, and too old to
learn. We put him back into his canoe, and set him
adrift to find his way home.
An hour later, another stranger was found in the
camp. 'He was also caught and brought to me. He
Digitized
byG00gl(
166 THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1876. was a lad of sixteen or seventeen years of age, a iac-
mTm^ t^imile in miniature of the older savage. I smiled
kindly, and conversed softly. I presented him with
a string of bright red beads, and filled one of his hands
with shells, and then I had him asked some questions.
He replied to five, when he said he was tired, and
would answer no more. We set a guard over him
for the night, and in the morning permitted him to
depart. I confessed my impotence to charm the
savage soul.
As we were about to leave camp, three canoes ad-
vanced towards us from the TJkassa side of the river.
Through our interpreters we spoke to them mildly,
requested to know what offence we had committed, or
whom we had harmed to inspire them with such mortal
hatred of strangers. Would they not make a bond
of friendship with us? We had beads, cloth, brass,
copper, iron, with which to buy food, goats, bananas,
corn.
They listened attentively, and nodded their heads in
approval. They asked if we would beat our drum for
their amusement. Kadu, one of Mtesa's pages, who
was an expert at the art, was called and commanded to
entertain them after the best Kiganda fashion. Kadu
seized his drum-sticks and drum, and after a few
prehminary taps dashed out a volume of sound that
must have been listened to with unbounded admiration
by many hundreds of savages crouching in the woods.
"Ah," said the poor naked, mop-headed wretches,
" it is delightful," and they clapped their hands glee-
fully— and paddled away rapidly down river, steering
for the right bank.
On the 30th the journey was resumed. The river
ran with sharp bends, with many dangerous whirls, and
broad patches of foam on its face, and was narrow, not
above eight hundred yards in width, for a distance of
Digitized
byG00gl(
IN TEE HAUNTS OF NATURE. 167
tbree miles and a half, when it suddenly widened to 1700 i876.
yards. Two fine wooded islands stood in mid-stream. On ^^'l^'
the northern side of a little tributary we camped at the Ngongo.
market-place of TJsako Ngongo, Ukassa Hills bearing
south-south-west. The southern end of the largest of
the two islands, Nionga, bore east by north from camp.
These market-places on the banks of the Livingstone,
at intervals of three or four miles, are central resorts
of the aborigines from either bank, and considered as
neutral ground, which no chief may claim, nor any
individual assert claims or tribute for its use. Many
of them are wide grassy spaces under the shade of
mighty spreading trees, affording admirable river
scenes for an artist. In the background is the deeply
black forest, apparently impenetrable in its density ;
here and there a taller giant, having released itself from
acquaintance and familiarity, overlooks its neighbours.
Its branches are favoured by the white-collared
eagle and the screaming ibis. Here and there rise
the feathery and graceful fronds of the elais palm. In
the foreground flows the broad brown river.
In the morning, on market days, the grassy plots are
thronged. From the depths of the forest, and from
isolated clearings, from lonely islands, and from the
open country of the Bakusu, come together the abori-
gines with their baskets of cassava, their mats of palm-
fibre and sedge, their gourds of palm-wine, their
beans and maize, millet and sugar-cane, crockery and
the handiwork of their artisans in copper and iron
and wood, the vermilion camwood, their vegetables,
and fruit of banana and plantain, their tobacco and
pipes and bangles, their fishnets and baskets, fish, and
a multitude of things which their wants and tastes
have taught them to produce. All is animation and
eager chaffer, until noon, when the place becomes
silent again and untenanted, a prey to gloom and
Digitized
byG00gl(
Dec. 1
Ukongeh.
168 THROUOH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1876. shade, where the hawk and the eagle, the ibis, the
grey parrot, and the monkey, may fly and scream and
howl, undisturbed.
On the 1st December we floated down to the market-
place of Ukongeh, opposite Mitandeh Island, in south
latitude S"" 6'.
On this day we found ourselves in the vicinity of a
place, of which a whisper had reached Livingstone on
the 10th March 1871, who, while at Nyangvvc, busied
himself in noting down the reports of Wangwana
and natives. Ukongeh market-place is the resort
of the Wahika, whose chief, Luapanya, was killed by
Mohammed bin Grharib's men.
^^^^ Behind the Wahika villages,
^E^^^^ ^^^^ about ten miles, lies the terri-
■ ^ ^^B VHL *^^y ^^ *^^ belligerent and
^V|B|^^^^|^^^^ cannibalistic Bakusu, an open
^^•^^^^^^^ and palm-growing country.
STEW-POT OF THE WAHIKA. The Arabs, each time they
have attempted to penetrate
Ukusu, have been repulsed with slaughter. On the
right bank, opposite Mitandeh Island, is the territory
of the Waziri.
By several islands of great beauty, and well-wooded
with all varieties of tropical trees, we floated down
to the market-place of Mivari, opposite the northern
end of the island of Mitangi. Uvitera village is a
mile south, and opposite it is the settlement of
Chabogwe'.
The river here ran in two broad streams, each
1000 yards wide, on either side of a series of islands
remarkable for their fertility. Where the islands are
large, the mainland is but thinly populated, though
a dense population occupies the country about two
miles back from the river. On these neutral market-
places, the islander and the backwoods people meet
Digitized
byG00gl(
A TOWN OF ONE STREET,
169
on equal terms for the purpose of bartering their
various productions.
On the 4th December we halted, because of a rain-
storm and, also, to forage for food, in which we were
only partially puccessful. No conflicts resulted, for-
tunately.
The next day, the river flowing a Jittle east of north,
we came to Muriwa Creek, on the northern bank of
which was a remarkably long village, or rather a series
1876.
Dec. 4.
Ikondu.
A HOUSE IN IKONDU.
of villages, from fifty to «t hundred yards apart, and a
broad, uniform street, thirty feet wide, and two miles
in length ! Behind the village were the banana and
the palm groves, which supplied the inhabitants with
fruit, wine, and oil.
This remarkable town was called Ikondu, and was
situated in south latitude 2° 53'. The huts were mere
double cages, made very elegantly of the Panicum grass
cane, 7 feet long by 5 feet wide and 6 feet high,
Digitized
byGoogU
170 TEBOUan TEE DABK CONTINENT.
1876. separated, as regards the main building, but con-
ikwidiL ^^^*^^ ^y *^^ ^^^f> ^^ *^^* *^^ central apartments
were common to both cages, and in these the
families meet and perform their household duties, or
receive their friends for social chat. .Between each
village was the burial-place or vault of their preceding
kings, roofed over with the leaves of the Phrynium
ramosimmum, which appears to be as useful a plant for
many reasons as the banana to the Waganda, These
cane cages are as cosy, comfortable, and dry as ships'
cabins, as we found in the tempests of rain that every
alternate day now visited us.
The town of Ikondu was quite deserted, but food was
abundant; the wine-pots were attached to the palm-
trees, bananas were hanging in clusters, in the gardens
were fine large melons, luxuriant plantations of cassava,
extensive plots of ground-nuts, and great tracts of
waving sugar-cane.
We were very much dispirited, however. This deser-
tion of their villages, without an attempt on the part of
the natives to make terms, or the least chance of com-
municating with them, showed a stern contempt for
the things of this life that approached the sublime.
Whither had such a large population fled? For
assuredly the population must have exceeded two
thousand.
We were dispirited for other reasons. The small-pox
was raging, dysentery had many victims, over fifty
were infected with the itch, some twenty suffered from
ulcers, many complained of chest-diseases, pneumonic
fever, and pleurisis : there was a case or two of typhoid
fever, and others suffered from prolapsus ani and
umbilical pains ; in short, there was work enough in
the stricken Expedition for a dozen physicians. Every
day we tossed two or three bodies into the deep waters
of the Livingstone. Frank and I endeavoured our
Digitized
byG00gl(
Dec 4.
Ikondiu
ORGANIZING A HOSPITAL. 171
utmost to alleviate the misery, but when the long i876.
caravan was entering camp I had many times to turn
my face away lest the tears should rise at sight of the
miserable victims of disease who reeled and staggered
through the streets. Poor creatures, what a life!
wandering, ever wandering, in search of graves.
At Ikondu, left high and dry by some mighty flood
years ago, there was a large condemned canoe with
great holes in its keel, and the traces of decay both
at bow and stem, yet it was capacious enough to carry
sixty sick people, and by fastening cables to it the
boat might easily take it in tow, I, therefore, called
my carpenters, Uledi the coxswain, Saywa, his cousin,
and Salaam Allah, and offered 12 yards of cloth to
each if they would repair it within two days. They
required twelve men and axes. The men were detailed,
and day and night the axes and hatchets were at work
trimming poles into narrow planking. The carpenters
fitted the boards, and secured them with wooden pins,
and with the bruised pulp of banana and bark cloth they
caulked it. Then the Wangwana were called to launch
the monster, and we presently had the satisfaction of
seeing it float. It leaked a good deal, but some
of the sick were not so ailing but that they might
bale it sufficiently to keep themselves afloat.
The success of the repairs which we had made in this
ancient craft proved to me that we possessed the means
to construct a flotilla of canoes of sufficient capacity to
float the entire Expedition. I resolved, therefore,
should Tippu-Tib still persist in his refusal to proceed
with us, to bribe him to stay with us until we should
have constructed at least a means of escape.
About noon of the next day, while we were busy
repairing the canoe, a native was found in the bushes
close to the town with a small bow and a quiver of
miniature arrows in his hand, and, it being a suspicious
Digitized
byG00gl(
Deo. 5.
Ikondo.
172 THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1876. circumstance, he was secured and brought to me. He
was a most remarkable specimen for a warrior, I thought,
as I looked at the trembling diminutive figure. He
stood, when measured, 4 feet 6^ inches, round the chest
30 inches, and at the waist 24 inches. His head was
large, his face decked with a scraggy fringe of whiskers,
and his complexion hght chocolate. As he was exceed-
ingly bow-legged and thin-shanked, I at first supposed
him to be a miserable abortion cast out by some tribe, and
driven to wander through the forest, until he mentioned
the word "Watwa.'* Recollecting that the Watwa
were well-known to be dwarfs, I asked Bwana Abed,
the guide, if this man resembled those Watwa dwarfs
Muhala*s people had* fought with. He replied that the
Watwa he had met were at least a head shorter, though
the man might be a member of some tribe related to
those he had seen ! His complexion was similar, but
the dwarfs west of Ukuna, in the West Lumami country,
had very long beards, and bushy whiskers. His
weapons were also the same — the short bow, and tiny
reed arrows, a foot long, with points smeared oyer with
a dark substance, with an odour resembling that of
cantharides. Everybody seemed to be particularly care-
ful, as they examined the arrows, not to touch the points,
and, as many of them were folded in leaves, it appeared
to me that the native had some reason for this pre-
caution. In order to verify this opinion, I uncovered
one of the leaf-guarded points, and, taking hold of one
of his arms, I gravely pretended to be about to inocu-
late the muscle with the dark substance on the arrow.
His loud screams, visible terror, and cries of " Mabi !
Mabi ! " (" Bad, bad "), with a persuasive eloquence of
gesture, left no doubt in my mind that the arrows
were poisoned.
But the native possessed the talent of pronunciation
in an eminent deerree. For the first time I heard the
^«D*
Digitized
byG00gl(
KntEMBO-REMBO. 173
native name of the Livingstone, as known to the Man- isie.
yema and Wenya, pronounced as distinctly and delibe- ^ ^'
rately as though Haji Abdallah himself was endeavour-
ing to convey to my interested ears the true word
Ru-a'r-ow-a, emphasizing the ante-penultimate syl-
lable. I requested several Wangwana, Wanyamwezi,
and Arabs to pronounce the word after him. Only
the principal Arabs were able to articulate distinctly
" Rua'rowa '* ; the black people transformed the word
instantly into ** Lualawa."
The ugly, prognathous-jawed creature, among other
information he gave us, related that just below Ikondu
there was an island called Maturu, whose people the
" Kirembo-rembo " (lightning) had completely de-
stroyed.
"Who sent the Kirembo-rembo, my friend?** I
asked.
" Ah, who knows ? Perhaps * Firi Niambi ' " — the
deity.
" Were they all killed ? "
** All — men, women, children, goats, bananas, every-
thing."
He also told us that the chief of Ikondu, with all
his people, was on the opposite side; that from the
wooded bluffs fronting the Urindi river extended the
powerful tribe of the Wabwir^, or Wasongora Meno
(" the people of the filed teeth ").
On the 8th December we moved down river to
Unya-N'singe, another large town, a mile in length,
on the north side of a creek, about thirty yards wide.
On the south side, on the summit of bluffs, 125 feet
high, was a similar town called Kisui-cha-Uriko.
About four miles up the river from Unya-N'sing^,
the Lira river entered the Livingstone. At the mouth
it was 300 yards wide and 30 feet deep, but two
miles above it narrowed to 250 yards, of deep and
Digitized
byG00gl(
174 THBOUGH THE DABK CONTINENT.
1876. tolerably clear water. A hostile movement on the
^ ®' part of the natives, accompanied by fierce demonstra-
N'Bingic tions on shore, compelled us, however, to relinquish the
design of penetrating farther up and to hurry back
4x) camp at Unya-N'singe.
We had not been long there before we heard the war-
horns sounding on the right bank, and about 4 p.m.
we saw eight large canoes coming up river along the
islands in mid-stream, and six along the left bank.
On approaching the camp they formed in line of battle
near a small grassy island about four hundred yards
from us, and shouted to us to come and meet them in
mid-river. Our interpreters were told to tell them
that we had but one boat, and five canoes loaded with
sick people; and that as we had not come for the
purpose of fighting, we would not fight.
A jeering laugh greeted the announcement, and the
next minute the fourteen canoes dashed towards us
with wild yells. I disposed my people along the banks,
and waited. When they came within thirty yards,
half of the men in each canoe began to shoot their
poisoned arrows, while the other half continued to
paddle in-shore. Just as they were about to land, the
command to fire was given to about thirty muskets, and
the savages fell back, retiring to the distance of about
a hundred and fifty yards, whence they maintained
the fight. Directing the people on shore to keep
firing, I chose the boat's crew, including Tippu-Tib,
and Bwana Abdallah, and dashed out into mid-stream.
The savages appeared to be delighted, for they yelled
triumphantly as they came towards us ; only for a short
time, however, for we were now only some fifty yards
from them and our guns were doing terrible execution.
In about a minute the fight was over, and our wild
foes were paddling down river; and we returned to
our camp, glad that this first affair with the Wasongora
Digitized
byG00gl(
PRIMITIVE SALT-MAKING. 175
Meno had terminated so quickly. Three of our people i876.
had been struck by arrows, but a timely application of ^^'
caustic neutralized the poison and, excepting painful N'gingd,
swellings, nothing serious occurred.
Unya-N*singe is in south latitude 2° 49'. Nearly
opposite it is Urangi, another series of small vil-
lages ; while on the north bank of the Lira river,
at the confluence, is the village of Uranja, and oppo-
site to it is Kisui Kachamba. The town of Meginna
is said to be about twenty Iniles south-east (mag-
netic) from Unya-N'sing^. All this portion is re-
ported to have been the scene of Muini Muhala*B
exploits.
On the 9th and the 10th we halted, waiting for the
land division under Frank. On the morning of the
11th, as our friends had not arrived, I set out in my
boat up river, and four miles above Unya-N'sing^
entered a creek, about forty yards wide, where I
discovered them endeavouring to cross- the stream.
The boat was heartily welcomed, and in a few hours
all were safely across.
They had, it appeared, again gone astray, and had
entered Ukusu, where they were again obliged to fight.
Four had received grievous wounds, and one had been
killed. Three Wanyamwezi, moreover, had died of
small-pox, en roicte from Ikondu.
This creek, like all the rest in the neighbourhood,
was half-choked with the Pistia stratioteSj which the
aborigines had enclosed with logs of wood, as a con-
siderable quantity of salt is obtained from these aspara-
gus-like plants. When the log-enclosed spaces are full,
the plants are taken out, exposed to the sun until they
are withered, dried, and then burnt. The ashes are
collected in pots with punctured bottoms, and the pots
filled with water, which is left to drip through into
shallow basins. After the evaporation by fire of this
Digitized
byG00gl(
176 THROUGH THE DABK CONTINENT.
1876. liquid, a dark grey sediment of a nitrous flavour is left
^' J which, recleansed, produces salt.
N'singcc At the head of this creek the land division reported
a hot-water spring, but I did not see it. On the bluffs,
overhanging the creek, the Rubiaceae, bombax, red-
wood, iron-wood, and stink-wood, with various palms,
flourished.
The bed of the river consists of shale. Twenty yards
from the bank the river was about 12 feet deep; at
100 yards I obtained 23 feet soundings. The bluffs
exhibit at the water-line horizontal strata of greenish
shale ; above, near the summit, the rock is grey with
age and weather.
Here we dismissed our dwarf to his home, with a
handful of shells and four necklaces of beads for his
very intelligent geographical knowledge and his
civilized pronunciation. He could not compreliend
why we did not eat him ; and though we shook hands
with him and smiled, and patted him on the shoulder,
I doubt whether he felt himself perfectly safe until
he had plunged out of sight into his native woods
once more.
Tippu-Tib determined to journey on land^ and Frank
and Sheikh Abdallah were invited to the boat. Eight
more victims to small-pox were admitted into the
hospital canoes, among them being three young girls,
the favourites of Tippu-Tib*s harem. For the accom-
modation of the raving and delirious sick, we con-
structed a shed over the hospital-canoe. Before we
moved from Unya-N'sing^, we had thrown eight
corpses into the Livingstone.
On the 14th, gliding down river without an effort on
our part, we reached Kisui Kachiambi, another large
town about a mile in length, and consisting of about
three hundred long houses — situated on the left bank, in
south latitude 2^ 35'. Opposite Mutako the natives made
Digitized
byG00gl(
Mpika.
HOSTAGES CAPTURED. 177
a brilliant and well-planned attack on ns, by suddenly 1870.
dashing upon ns from a creek ; and had not the fero- ^^*^ ^^
cions nature of the people whom we daily encountered
taught us to be prepared at all times against assault,
we might have suffered considerable injury. Fortu-
nately, only one man was slightly punctured with a
poisoned arrow, and an immediate and plentiful appli-
cation of nitrate of silver nullified all evil effects.
During our halt at Kisui-Kachiambi, two of the
favourite women of Tippu-Tib died of small-pox, and
three youths also fell victims; of the land division
only one perished.
On the 18th, after floating down a few miles, we
came to a broad channel which ran between the
populous island of Mpika and the left bank, and arriv-
ing at a market green, under the shade of fine old
trees, halted for breakfast. The aborigines of Mpika
at once gathered opposite, blew war-horns, and mus-
tered a large party, preparing to attack us with canoes.
To prevent surprise from the forest while the porridge
for the sick was being cooked, I had placed scouts on
either side of each of the roads that penetrated inland
from the market green, at about a couple of hundred
yards' distance from the camp. It happened that, while
drums were beating and horns were blowing on the
island, and everybody seemed mustering for a grand
attack on us, a party of ten people (among whom were
three very fine-looking women), who had been on a
trading excursion to a village inland, and were return-
ing to their island home, had been waiting to be
ferried across from the market-place when we occupied
it. The scouts surrounded them, and, seeing there
was no escape, they came into the market-place. The
interpreters were called to calm their fears, and to tell
them that we were simply travellers going down river,
with no intention of hurting anybody.
VOL. n. — 12
Digitized
byG00gl(
178 THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1876. By means of these people we succeeded in checking
December. ^^ warlike demonstrations of the islanders, and in
Njara. finally persuading them to make blood-brotherhood,
after which we invited canoes tp come and receive
their friends. As they hesitated to do so, we embarked
them in our own boat, and conveyed them across to
the island.
The news then spread quickly along the whole
length of the island that we were friends, and as we
resumed our journey, crowds from the shore cried out
to us, " Mwende Kivuke-vuke." (** Go in peace !")
The crest of the island was about eighty feet above
the river, and was a marvel of vegetation, chiefly of
plantain and banana plantations. On our left, rose
the other bank with similar wooded heights, dipping
occasionally into small creeks and again rising into
ridges, with slopes though steep, clothed with a perfect
tangle of shrubs and plants.
After a descent of ten miles by this channel, we found
the river increased in width to 2000 yards. While
rowing down, close to the left bank, we were suddenly
surprised by hearing a cry from one of the guards of
the hospital canoes, and, turning round, saw an arrow
fixed in his chest. The next instant, looking towards
the bank, we saw the forms of many men in the jungle,
and several aiTOws flew past my head in extremely
unpleasant proximity.
We sheered off instantly, and, pulling hard down
stream, came near the landing-place of an untenanted
market-green. Here we drew in-shore, and, sending
out ten scouts to lie in wait in the jungle, I mustered
all the healthy men, about thirty in number, and pro-
ceeded to construct a fence of brushwood, inspired to
unwonted activity by a knowledge of our lonely, de-
fenceless state.
Presently a shriek of agony from another of my men
Digitized
byG00gl(
AT CLOSE QUARTERS. 179
rang out through the jungle, followed immediately by i876.
the sharp crack of the scouts* Sniders, which again was ^^J*^^''
responded to by an infernal din of war-horns and yells, Njara.
while arrows flew past us from all directions. Twenty
more men were at once sent into the jungle to assist
the st5outs, while, with might and main, we laboured
to surround our intended camp with tall and dense
hedges of brushwood, with sheltered nooks for riflemen.
After an hour s labour the camp was deemed suffi-
ciently tenable, and the recall was sounded. The
scouts retreated on the run, shouting as they ap-
proached, " Prepare ! prepare ! they are coming ! "
About fifty yards of ground outside our camp hj\d
been cleared, which, upon the retreat of the scouts
who had been keeping them in check, was soon filled
by hundreds of savages, who pressed upon us from
all sides but the river, in the full expectation that we
were flying in fear. But they were mistaken, for we
were at bay, and desperate in our resolve not to die
without fighting. Accordingly, at such close quarters
the contest soon became terrific. Again and again
the savages hurled themselves upon our stockade,
launching spear after spear with deadly force into the
camp, to be each time repulsed. Sometimes the muzzle
of our guns almost touched their breasts. The shrieks,
cries, shouts of encouragement, the rattling volleys of
musketry, the booming war-horns, the yells and defi-
ance of the combatants, the groans and screams of the
women and children in the hospital camp, made together
such a medley of hideous noises as can never be effaced
from my memory. For two hours this desperate conflict
lasted. More than once, some of the Wangwana were
about to abandon the struggle and run to the canoes, but
.Uledi, the coxswain, and Frank threatened them with
clubbed muskets, and with the muzzles of their rifles
drove them back to the stockade. At dusk the enemy
Digitized by VjOOQIC"
180 THBOUGH THE DARK CONTINENT,
1876. retreated from the vicinity of the clearing; hut the
December, jjideous alarums produced from their ivory horns, and
Kj^Miu increased hy the echoes of the close forest, still con-
tinued ; and now and. again a vengeful poison-laden
arrow flew by with an ominous whizz to quiver in the
earth at our feet, or fall harmlessly into the river
behind us.
Sleep, under such circumstances, was out of the
question ; yet there were many weak, despairing souls
whom even the fear of being eaten could not rouse to
a sense of manliness and the necessity for resistance.
Aware of this, I entrusted the task of keeping the
people awake to Frank Pocock, Sheikh Abdallah, and
Wadi Rehani, the " treasurer " of the Expedition, who
were ordered to pour kettles of cold water over their
heads upon the least disposition to go to sleep.
About 11 P.M. a dark form was seen creeping from
the bush on all fours towards our stockade. I moved
quietly to where vigilant TJledi was maintaining
watch and ward, and whispered to him to take two
men and endeavour to catch him. Uledi willingly
consented, and burrowed out through a slight opening
in the fence. The eyes of those in the secret became
fastened upon the dim shadows of the hostile forms,'
so similar, it seemed to me, in their motions to a crocodile
which I had seen on a rock near Kisorya in Ukerew^, as
it endeavoured to deceive a large diver into the belief
that it was asleep while actually meditating its murder.
Soon we saw TJIedi's form leap upon that of the
prostrate savage and heard him call out for help,
which was at once given him by his two assistants ;
but an ominous rustling in the bushes behind an-
nounced that the cunning enemy were also on the alert,
and, as they rushed to the rescue, Uledi snatched his.
captive's spears, and with his two friends retreated
into the camp, while our guns again awoke the echoes
Digitized
byG00gl(
IT RAINS ARROWS ALL NIOET. 181
of the forest and the drowsy men in the camp to a i876.
midnight action as brisk as it was short. December.
Twit, twit, fell the arrows once more in showers, nj^SI
piercing the brush fence, perforating the foliage, or
smartly tapping the trunks and branches, while we,
crouching down on the ground, under the thick shadows
of the brushwood, replied with shot, slugs, and bullets,
that swept the base of the jungle.
Silence was soon again restored and the strict watch
renewed. From a distance the poisoned reeds still
pattered about us, but, protected by our snug stockade
and lying low in our covert, they were harmless,
though they kept us awake listening to the low whizz
and reminding one another that the foe was still near.
Morning dawned upon the strange scene. The coolcs
proceeded to make fires, to cook some food, under the
shelter of the high banks, that we might break our
long fasts. Frank and I made a sufficient meal out of
six roasted bananas and a few cups of sugarless coffee.
After which, giving strict orders to Frank and Sheikh
Abdallah to be vigilant in my absence, the boat was
manned, and I was rowed to a distance of 500 yards
from the camp towards the right bank. There, stop-
ping to examine the shores, I was surprised to see,
only a quarter of a mile below our camp, a large town,
consisting, like those above, of a series of villages, in
a uniform line along the high bank, while a perfect
wealth of palm-trees and banana plantations proved
unquestionably the prosperity of the populous district.
I recollected then that the intelligent dwarf already
mentioned had spoken of a powerful chief, whose dis-
trict, called Vinya-Njara, possessed so many men that
it would be utterly impossible to pass him.
My plans were soon made. It was necessary that
we should occupy the southernmost village, in order to
house the sick, to obtain food for ourselves, and to
Digitized
byG00gl(
182 THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1876. keep up communication with the land division when
^iT^' it should announce its presence.
Njara. We Towcd back to the camp, by this time the
observed of a thousand heads which projected from
the jungle between our camp and the first village. As
nothing had been unpacked from the boat and the
hospital-canoes, and only the defenders of the camp had
disembarked, every soul was in a few seconds seated in
his place, and, pulling swiftly over that intervening
quarter of a mile down to the landing of the first
village — targets, it is true, for several arrows for a
short time, but no one could stop to reply. Arriving
at the landing, two men were detailed off to each canoe
and the boat, and we rushed up the high and steep bank.
The village was empty, and, by cutting some trees
down to block up each end, became at once perfectly
defensible.
We were not long left unmolested. The savages
recovered their wits, and strove desperately to dislodge
us, but at each end of the village, which was about three
hundred yards long, our muskets blazed incessantly.
I also caused three or four sharpshooters to ascend
tall trees along the river banks, which permitted them,
though unseen, to overlook the tall grasses and rear of
the village, and to defend us from fire. Meanwhile,
for the first time for twenty-four hours, the sick
(seventy-two in number) were allotted one-fourth of
the village for themselves, as over one-half of them
were victims of the pest, of which three had died in the
canoes during the fearful hours of the previous night.
The combat lasted until noon, when, mustering
twenty-five men, we made a sally, and succeeded in
clearing the skirts of the village for the day. Uledi
caught one of the natives by the foot, and succeeded
in conveying him within the village, where he was
secured as a most welcome prize, through whom we
Digitized
byG00gl(
''BO BO, BO'BO, BO'BO-0'O-OHl'' 183
might possibly, if opportunities offered, bring this isre.
determined people to reason. December.
Then while the scouts deployed in a crescent form kj^
from beyond the ends of the village into the forest, the
rest of our force formed in line, and commenced to cut
down all weeds and grass within a distance of a hundred
yards. This work consumed three hours, after which
the scouts were withdrawn, and we rested half an hour
for another scant meal of bananas. Thus refreshed
after our arduous toil, we set about building marks-
men's nests at each end of the village 15 feet high,
which, manned with ten men each, commanded all
approaches. For our purpose there were a number of
soft-wood logs, already prepared in the village, and
bark rope and cane fibre were abundant in every hut,
for the inhabitants of Vinya-Njara devoted themselves,
among other occupations, to fishing, and the manufac-
ture of salt from the Pistia plants.
By evening our labours were nearly completed.
During the night there was a slight alarm, and now
and then the tapping on the roofs and the pattering
among the leaves informed us that our enemies were
still about, but we did not reply to them.
The next morning an assault was attempted, for the
enemy emerged from the bush on the run into the
clearing; but our arrangements seemed to surprise
them, for they retreated again almost immediately into
the gloomy obscurities of the jungle, where they main-
tained, with indomitable spirit, horn-blowing and a ter-
rific " bo-bo-boing.**
We had, it seems — though I have not had time to
mention it before — passed the tribes which emitted cries
of " Ooh-hu-hu, ooh-hu, ooh-hu-hu," for ever since our
arrival at Vinya-Njara we had listened with varied
feelings to the remarkable war-strains of " Bo-bo, bo-bo,
bo-bo-o-o-oh,** uttered in tones so singular as to impress
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byG00gl(
184 THROUQE THE BARK CONTINENT.
:876. even my African comrades with a sense of its eccen-
^^^' tricity.
N^' About noon a large flotilla of canoes was observed
ascending the river close to the left bank, manned by
such a dense mass of men that any number between
five hundred and eight hundred would be within the
mark. We watched them very carefully until they
had ascended the river about half a mile above us,
when, taking advantage of the current, they bore down
towards us, blowing their war-horns, and drumming
vigorously. At the same moment, as though this were
a signal in concert with those on land, war-horns
responded from the forest, and I had scarcely time to
order every man to look out when the battle-tempest of
arrows broke upon us from the woods. But the twenty
men in the nests at the corners of the village proved
suflScient to resist the attack from the forest side, Frank
Pocock being in charge of one, and Sheikh Abdallah of
the other, while I, with twenty men lining the bushes
along the water line, defended the river side.
This was a period when every man felt that he
must either fight or resign himself to the only other
alternative, that of being heaved a headless corpse into
the river. Our many successful struggles for a pre-
carious existence had begun to animate even the most
cowardly with that pride of life that superiority creates,
and that feeling of invulnerability that frequent lucky
escapes foster. I was conscious, as I cast my eyes
about, that my followers were conspicuously distin-
guishing themselves, and were at last emerging
from that low level of undeveloped manhood which is
the general state of men untried and inexperienced.
With a number of intelligent whites, that acquisition of
courageous qualities would have been assisted by natural
good-sense, and a few months' hard sei^vice such as we
had undergone would have sufficed to render them calm
Digitized
byG00gl(
A DESPERATE AFFAIR. 185
and steady in critical times ; but with such people as I isre.
had, who had long shown — with the exception of a few ^^•<^^*^-
— a wonderful inaptitude for steadiness, the lesson had kj^
taken two years. These last few days on the Living-
stone river had been rapidly perfecting that compact
band for the yet more dangerous times and periods to
come.
Therefore, though the notes of the war-horns were
dreadful, our foe numerous and pertinacious, and evi-
dently accustomed to victory, I failed to observe one
man amongst my people then fighting who did noi
seem desirous to excel even Uledi, the coxswain.
The battle had continued half an hour with a despe-
rate energy, only qualified by our desperate state.
Ammunition we possessed in abundance, and we made
use of it with deadly effect, yet what might have
become of us is doubtful, had not the advanced-guard
of Tippu-Tib and our land division arrived at this
critical juncture, causing dismay to the savages in the
foitist, who announced the reinforcement by war-horns
to the savages in the canoes, many of whom were,
at the moment, making most strenuous efforts to effect
a landing. The river savages, upon hearing these
signals, withdrew, but as they were paddling away
they proclaimed their intention of preventing all escape,
either up river or down river, and expressed their
enormous contempt for us by throwing water towards us
with their paddles. We saw all the canoes mysteriously
disappear behind an island, situated about 1600 yards
off, and opposite to our camp.
It was a great pleasure to greet all our people once
more, though they were in a wretched plight. Bad
food, and a scarcity of even that during three days
in the jungle, constantly losing the road, wandering
aimlessly about, searching for thinly grown spots
through which they might creep more easily, had
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byG00gl(
186 THROUGH THE DAJHK CONTINENT.
1876. reduced their physical strength so much that it was
Decembe^^l^^j. at a glaiicc that several days must elapse before
njmIT they would be able to resume their journey.
When all had arrived, I called the forty defenders of
the camp together, and distributing cloth to each of
them, told them that as the enemy had taken their
canoes behind the island opposite, they very pro-
bably intended to resume the fight; that it was,
therefore, our duty to prevent that if possible, by
making a night expedition, and cutting the canoes
adrift, which would leave them under the necessity of
abandoning the project of attacking ns; ** besides,'*
said I, " if we can do the job in a complete way, the
enormous loss of canoes will have such an effect on
them that it will clear our progress down river."
Frank Pocock was requested to take his choice of
crews and man the four little canoes, which would carry
about twenty men and, proceeding to the south end of
the islet, to spread his canoes across the mouth of the
channel, between the islet and the right bank, while I
proceeded in the boat to the north end of the islet,
and, bearing down the channel, sought out the enemy's
canoes, and cut them adrift which floating down were
to be picked up by him.
It was a rainy, gusty night, and dark ; but at 10 p.m.,
the hour of deepest sleep, we set out with muffled oars,
Frank to his appointed position, and I up river, along
the left bank, until, having ascended nearly opposite
the lower end of Mpika Island, we cut rapidly across
river to the right bank. Then, resting on our oars, we
searched the bank narrowly, until seeing a fire on the
bank we rowed cautiously in, and discovered eight
large canoes, each tied by a short cable of rattan to
a stake, driven deep into the clay. Uledi, Bwana
Hamadi, and myself, soon set these free, and giving
each a push successively far into the stream, waited a
Digitized
byG00gl(
CAXOE SCOOP.
CUTTING THE CANOES ADRIFT, 187
short time, and then followed them in our boat. Four i876.
other canoes were cut adrift a few hundred yards below. ^^™^^^-
On coming into the channel between the islet and the Kjara.
bank, numerous bright fires informed us that the largest
number of the enemy was encamped on it, and that
their canoes must be fastened below the several camps.
We distinctly heard the murmur of voices, and the
coughing of shivering people, or of those who indulged
in the pernicious hfiang ; but gliding under the shadows
of the tall banks and in the solemn blackness of the
trees, we were unperceived, and canoe after canoe, each
with its paddles and scoops within,
was pushed into the swift stream,
which conveyed it down river to
where we felt assured Frank was
ready with his sharp and quick-eyed
assistants. In this manner thirty-six canoes, some of
great size, were sent adrift ; and not being able to dis-
cover more, we also followed them noiselessly down
stream, until we came to Frank's canoes, which were
being borne down stream by the
weight of so many. However, cast- ^^^^ .^'^^
ing the great stone anchor of the
boat, canoe after canoe was attached
to us, and leaving twenty-six in scoois.
charge of Frank, we hoisted sail and rowed up stream,
with twelve canoes in tow. Arriving at camp, the canoes
were delivered in charge to the Wangwana, and then
the boat hastily returned to lend assistance to Frank,
wlio made his presence known to us by occasionally
blowing the trumpet. After relieving him of eight
more canoes, he was able almost to keep up with us
to camp, where we all arrived at 5 a.m., after a most
successful night expedition.
At 9 A.M. the boat was manned again, and we rowed
to the scene of our midnight labours. The island was
Digitized
byG00gl(
188 THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1876. all but abandoned ! Only a few persons were left, and
December. ^ them, with the aid of our interpreters, we commu-
NjJr^ nicated our terms, viz., that we would occupy Vinya-
Njara, and retain all the canoes unless they made peace.
We also informed them that we had one prisoner, who
would be surrendered to them if they availed themselves
of our offer of peace : that we had suffered heavily, and
they had also suffered; that war was an evil which
wise men avoided ; that if they came witli two canoes
with their chiefs, two canoes with our chiefs should
meet them in mid-stream, and make blood-brotherhood ;
and that on that condition some of their canoes should
be restored, and we would purchase the rest.
They repHed that what we had spoken was quite
true, but as their chiefs were some distance away in
the woods they must have time to commimicate with
them, but that they would announce their decision
next day. We then left them, not, however, without
throwing packets of shells towards them, as an earnest
of our wish to be friends, and rowed to our camp at
Vinya-Njara.
The forests for a distance of ten miles around Vinya-
Njara were clear of enemies. The friendly natives
of Mpika Island came down to our assistance in nego-
tiating a peace between us and the surly chiefs,
who had all withdrawn into the forests on the right
bank.
On the 22nd December, the ceremony of blood-
brotherhood having been formally concluded, in mid-
river, between Safeni and the chief of Vinya-Njara, our
captive and fifteen canoes were returned, and twenty-
three canoes were retained by us for a satisfactory
equivalent, and thus our desperate struggle terminated.
Our losses at Vinya-Njara were four killed and thirteen
wounded.
In the afternoon, Tippu-Tib, Sheikh Abdallah, and
Digitized
byG00gl(
TIFFU'TIB DESERTS ME. 189
Muini Ibrahim declared their intention of returning to i876.
Nyangw6 by another route, and with such firmness of ^*"^'*-
tone that I renounced the idea of attempting to per- nj^
suade them to change their decision. Indeed, the awful
condition of the sick, the high daily mortality, the
constant attacks on us during each journey, and the
last terrible struggle with Vinya-Njara, had produced
such dismal impressions on the minds of the escort that
no amount of money would have bribed the undis-
ciplined people of Tippu-Tib to have entertained for
a moment the idea pf continuing the journey.
Though eight marches were still wanting to com-
plete the twenty camps from Wan^-Kirumbu, in Uregga,
I felt that their courage was exhausted. I therefore
consented to release Tippu-Tib from his engagement,
on condition that he used his influence with the
people of the Expedition to follow me. He consented
to do so, and in consideration for his services thus far
and the calamities that his people had undergone, I
distributed the following gifts : —
To Tippn-Tib, a draft for 2600 dollars, 1 riding-ass, 1 trunk, 1 gold
chain, 80 doti of fine cloth, 150 lbs. of beads, 16,300 shells, 1 ro-
Tolver, 200 ronnds of ammunition, 50 lbs. of brass wire.
„ Sheikh Abdallah, 20 doti of cloth.
,, Muini Ibrahim, 10 doti of cloth.
„ Bwana Abed, the guide, 10 doti of doth.
„ „ Hamadi, 5 doti of cloth.
„ „ Chech6, 5 doti of clotlu
„ „ Ehamis, 5 doti of cloth.
„ 50 of his principal men, 2 doti of cloth.
„ 90 of his escort, 1 doti of cloth.
„ each of the Wangwana chiefis, 2i doti of cloth.
„ each of the Wanyamwezi and Wangwana of the Expedition, li doti
of cloth.
„ each woman and boy, 1 doti of cloth.
It was then announced that — inasmuch as my duty
compelled me to endeavour to do my utmost to trace
the great river to the sea and as the chiefs and the
principal men of the Expedition were resolved to follow
Digitized
byG00gl(
190 TEROUQE TEE DARK CONTINENT.
1876. me wherever I should lead them — on the fifth day
December. fj,Q^ ^]jg^ ^^ should Strike OUT camp, and form a
Nj^ new and separate camp, and that on the sixth day
we should embark, and begin our journey down the
river to the ocean — or to death.
Said I : " Into whichever sea this great river empties,
there shall we follow it. You have seen that I have
saved you a score of times, when everything looked
black and dismal for us. That care of you to which
you owe your safety hitherto, I shall maintain, until I
have seen you safe and sound in your own homes, and
under your own palm-trees. All I ask of you is, perfect
trust in whatever I say. On your lives depends my
own ; if I risk yours, I risk mine. As a father looks
after his children, I will look after you. It is true we
are not so strong as when the Wanyaturu attacked us,
or when we marched through Unyoro to Muta Nzige,
but we are of the same band of men, and we are still of
the same spirit. Many of our party have already died,
but death is the end of all ; and if they died earlier than
we, it was the will of God, and who shall rebel against
His will ? It may be we shall meet a hundred wild
tribes yet who, for the sake of eating us, will rush to
meet and fight us. We have no wish to molest them.
We have moneys with us, and are, therefore, not poor.
If they fight us, we must accept it as an evil, like
disease, which we cannot help. We shall continue to
do our utmost to make friends, and the river is wide
and deep. If we fight, we fight for our lives. It may
be that we shall be distressed by famine and want. It
may be that we shall meet with many more cataracts, or
find ourselves before a great lake, whose wild waves we
cannot cross with these canoes ; but we are not children,
we have heads, and arms, and are we not always under
the eye of God, who will do with us as He sees fit?
Therefore, my children, make up your minds as I have
Digitized
byG00gl(
MT APFEAL TO TEE " SEA CEILDBEN."* 191
made up mine, that as we are now in the very middle i876.
of this continent, and it would he just as had to return ^*°*^''
as to go on, that we shall continue our journey, that Njm^
we shall toil on, and on, hy this river and no other, to
the salt sea/'*
A loud shout of applause greeted me as I concluded,
and Manwa Sera followed it up, and in a few spirited
words said that they were hound to let the Wanyam-
wezi see of what stuff the sea children were made,
and, turning to the Arahs, he asked them to look at
the hlack men who were ahout to perform what they
dreaded. Uledi, the coxswain, on hehalf of the boat-
boys, said that I was their father, and though every
one else should refuse to move farther, Frank and I
might step into the boat, and he and his friends would
dare the long journey that very day !
There was ample work for us all before setting out
on our adventurous journey. Food had to be pro-
cured and prepared for at least twenty days. Several
of the canoes required to be repaired and all to be
* A poetical firiend on hearing this address brought to my notice a
remarkable coincidence. In one of Tennyson's poems, Ulysses addresses
his followers thus : —
"My mariners,
Bonis that have toiled, and wrought, and thought with me^
That eTer with a frolic welcome took
The thunder and the sxmshine, and opposed
Free hearts, free foreheads : come, my friends,
'TIS not too late to seek a newer world."
Push off, and sitting well in order smite
The sounding furrows; for my purpose holds
To sail beyond the sunset imtil I die.
It may be that the gulfs will wash us down ;
It may be we shall touch the happy isles
And see the great AchiUes whom we knew.
Though much is taken, much abides ; and tho'
We are not now that strength which in old days
Moved earth and heaven ; that which we are, we are
One equal temper of heroic hearts,
^lade weak by time and fate, but strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield."
Digitized
byG00gl(
192 THJiOUOn TEE DARK CONTINENT.
1876. lashed in couples, to prevent them from capsizing; and
^^^' special arrangements required to be made for the
NjmT transport of three riding-asses, which we had resolved
upon taking with us, as a precaution in the event of
our being compelled to abandon the canoes and to
journey along the banks.
Christmas Day we passed most pleasantly and happily,
like men determined to enjoy life while it lasted. In
the morning we mustered all the men, and appointed
them to their respective canoes. Names taken from
those British cruisers which had become familiar to
the east coast people were also given to them by the
Zanzibaris, amid loud laughter, except to half a dozen
which Frank and I reserved to bear such names as we
selected for them.
1. The exploring boat, Lady Alice,
13. London Town.
2. Ocean, commanded I27 Frank.
14. America.
8. Livingstono.
15. Hart
4. Stanley.
16. Daphne.
5. Telegraph.
17. Lynx.
6. Herald.
18. Nymph.
7. Jason.
19. Vulture.
a Argo.
20. Shark.
9. Penguin.
21. Arab.
10. Wolverine.
22. Miramba
11. Fawn.
23. Mtesa.
12. Glasgow (flag -ship, com-
Canoe races were afterwards instituted between the
various vessels, and to the crews who excelled were
awarded gifts of cloth. The afternoon was celebrated
by foot-races, in which, for the sake of the prizes offered,
the Arabs joined, occasioning much amusement to the
people. The great event was the race between the
famous Tippu-Tib and Francis Pocock. The Arab
prepared himself with unusual determination to compete
for the prize, a richly chased silver goblet and cup,
one of the presents bestowed on me before leaving
Digitized
byG00gl(
CHBISTMA8 DAT. 193
England. The course was 300 yards, from end to i876.
end of the village street. Though Frank exerted him- ^^ ^^'
self to the utmost, the sinews of the muscular Arab njISI
carried him to the front at the finish by 15 yards. Then
the little boys of the Expedition competed with the
httle boys of the escort, and finally ten young women
were induced to attempt to compete for a prize, and their
presence on the racecourse convulsed the hundreds
assembled to witness the unusual scene. Some were
very ungainly and elephantine in their movements,
especially Muscati, the wife of the chief Safeni, but
others were most graceful of body and lithe of limb,
and raced with the swiftness of Atalanta. But the girl
Khamisi of Zanzibar was declared the winner.
A dance, by a hundred Wanyamwezi, adorned in
all the feathered glory and terror of war, with sounding
drums and melodious blasts from ivory horns, termi-
nated the extraordinary festivities.
On the 26th Tippu-Tib gave a banquet of rice and
roasted sheep to the Expedition, and malofu, or palm-
wine, from Mpika Island, assisted to maintain the high
spirits and sanguine prospects of success with which
these cheery proceedings, festivities, and sports in-
spired us.
The next day at dawn we embarked all the men,
women, and children, 149 souls in all, and the riding-
asses of the Expedition, and, telling Tippu-Tib we
should on the morrow pull up stream and descend the
river close to the village of Vinya-Njara for a last fare-
well, we pulled across to the islet near the right bank,
where we constructed a rude camp for the only night
we should remain. When I ascertained, after arrival,
that every soul connected with the Expedition was
present, my heart was filled with a sense of confidence
and trust such as I had not enjoyed since leaving
Zanzibar.
\0L. n. — 13
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194 THROUGH THE DAEK CONTINENT.
1876. In the evening, while sleep had fallen upon all save
^ ^' the watchful sentries in charge of the boat and canoes,
NjLa. Frank and I spent a serious time.
Frank was at heart as sanguine as I that we should
finally emerge somewhere, but, on account of the per-
sistent course of the great river towards the north, a
little uneasiness was evident in his remarks.
" Before we finally depart, sir," said he, " do you
really believe, in your inmost soul, that we shall suc-
ceed ? I ask this because there are such odds against
us — ^not that I for a moment think it woidd be best
to return, having proceeded so far."
" Believe ? Yes, I do believe that we shall all emerge
into light again some time. It is true that our pro-
spects are as dark as this night. Even the Mississippi
presented no such obstacles to De Soto as this river
will necessarily present to us. Possibly its islands and
its forests possessed much of the same aspect, but here
we are at an altitude of sixteen hundred and fifty
feet above the sea. What conclusions can we arrive
at? Either that this river penetrates a great distance
north of the Equator, and, taking a mighty sweep
round, descends into the Congo — this, by the way, would
lessen the chances of there being many cataracts in the
river; — or that we shall shortly see it in the neigh
bourhood of the Equator, take a direct cut towards the
Congo, and precipitate itself, like our Colorado river,
through a deep canon, or down great cataracts; or
that it is either the Niger or the Nile. I believe it will
prove to be the Congo ; if the Congo then, there must
be many cataracts. Let us only hope that the cataracts
are all in a lump, close together.
*'Any way, whether the Congo, the Niger, or the
Nile, I am prepared, otherwise I should not be so con-
fident. Though I love life as much as you do, or any
other man does, yet on the success of this efibrt I am
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"" VICTORY OB DEATH l"* 195
about to stake my life, my all. To prevent its sacrifice i876.
foolishly I have devised numerous expedients with ^^^•
which to defy wild men, wild nature, and unknown Njant
terrors. There is an enormous risk, but you know
the adage, * Nothing risked, nothing won.'
• « « « «
" Now look at this, the latest chart which Europeans
have drawn of this region. It is a blank, perfectly white.
We will draw two curves just to illustrate what I
mean. One shows the river reaching the Equator and
turning westward. Supposing there are no cataracts,
we ought to reach *Tuckey's Furthest* by the 15th
February ; but if the river takes that wider sweep from
2^ north of the Equator, we may hope to reach by the
15th March, and, if we allow a month for cataracts or
rapids, we have a right to think that we ought to see
the ocean by either the middle or the end of April
1877.
" I assure you, Frank, this enormous void is about to
be filled up. Blank as it is, it has a singular fascination
for me. Never has white paper possessed such a charm
for me as this has, and I have already mentally peopled
it, filled it with most wonderful pictures of towns,
villages, rivers, countries, and tribes — all in the imagina-
tion— ^and I am burning to see whether I am correct
or not Believe ? I see us gliding down by tower and
town, and my mind will not permit a shadow of doubt.
Good night, my boy ! Good night ! and may happy
dreams of the sea, and ships, and pleasure, and comfort,
and success attend you in your sleep ! To-morrow, my
lad, is the day we shall cry — * Victory or death I' "
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T0WABD8 THE UNKNOWN."
CHAPTER YII.
Farewell to Tippu-Tib — Attacked from both banks— The fat savage
takes a bad shot at me — In the home of the elephants — Insect life —
Under covert— The Lowwa river — A storm on the river— New Year's
Day — Bullets against spears — ** Sennenneh ! " — Tempting the
female mind — The reward of a good deed — A river armada:
crocodile boats — Betwixt cataracts and cannibals.
1876.
Dec. 28.
Vinya-
Njara.
The crisis drew nigh when the 28th December dawned.
A grey mist hung over the river, so dense that
we could not pee even the palmy banks on which
Vinya-Njara was situated. It would have been suicidal
to begin our journey on such a gloomy morning. The
people appeared as cheerless and dismal as the foggy
day. We cooked our breakfasts in order to see if, by
the time we had fortified the soul by satisfying the
cravings of the stomach, the river and its shores might
not have resumed their usual beautiful outlines, and
their striking contrasts of light and shadow.
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FABEWELL TO TIPPU TIB. 197
Slowly the breeze wafted the dull and heavy mists i876.
away until the sun appeared, and bit by bit the luxu- ^* ^^*
riantly wooded banks rose up solemn and sad. Finally njST
the grey river was seen, and at 9 a.m. its face gleamed
with the brightness of a mirror.
" Embark, my friends ! Let us at once away ! and
a happy voyage to us.*'
The drum and trumpet proclaimed to Tippu-Tib*s
expectant ears that we were ascending the river.
In half an hour we were pulling across to the left
bank, and when we reached it a mile above Vinya-
Njara we rested on our oars. The strong brown cur-
rent soon bore us down within hearing of a deep
and melodious diapason of musical voices chanting the
farewell song. How beautiful it sounded to us as we
approached them ! The dense jungle and forest seemed
to be penetrated with the vocal notes, and the river to
bear them tenderly towards us. Louder the sad notes
swelled on our ears, full of a pathetic and mournful
meaning. With bated breath we listened to the rich
music which spoke to us unmistakably of parting, of
sundered friendship, a long, perhaps an eternal, farewell.
We came in view of them, as ranged along the bank in
picturesque costume the sons of Unyamwezi sang their
last song. We waved our hands to them. Our hearts
were so full of grief that we could not speak. Steadily
the brown flood bore us by, and fainter and fainter
came the notes down the water, till finally they died
away, leaving us all alone in our loneliness.
But, looking up, I saw the gleaming portal to the
Unknown : wide open to us and away down, for miles
and miles, the river lay stretched with all the fascination
of its mystery. I stood up and looked at the people. How
few they appeared to dare the region of fable and dark-
ness ! They were nearly all sobbing. They were leaning
forward, bowed, as it seemed, with grief and heavy hearts.
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198 THROUGH THE DABK CONTINENT.
1876. " Sons of Zanzibar," I shouted, " the Arabs and the
^ ^^ Wanyamwezi are looking at you. They are now telling
Njara. ono another what brave fellows you are. Lift up your
heads and be men. What is there to fear? All the
world is smiling with joy. Here we are all together
like one family, with hearts united, all strong with the
purpose to reach our homes. See this river ; it is the
road to Zanzibar. When saw you a road so wide?
When did you journey along a path like this ? Strike .
your paddles deep, cry out Bismillah!, and let ns
forward."
Poor fellows ! with what wan smiles they responded
to my words! How feebly they paddled! But the
strong flood was itself bearing us along, and the Vinya-
Njara villages were fast receding into distance.
Then I urged my boat's crew, knowing that thus we
should tempt the canoes to quicker pace. Three or four
times Uledi, the coxswain, gallantly attempted to sing,
in order to invite a cheery chorus, but his voice soon
died into such piteous hoarseness that the very ludicrous-
ness of the tones caused his young friends to smile even
in the midst of their grief.
We knew that the Vinya-Njara district was populous
from the numbers of natives that fought with us by
land and water, but we had no conception that it was
so thickly populated as the long row of villages we now
saw indicated. I counted fourteen separate villages,
each with its respective growth of elais palm and
banana, and each separated from the other by thick
bush.
Every three or four miles after passing Vinya-Njara,
there were small villages visible on either bank, but
we met with no disturbance, fortunately. At 5 p.m.
we made for a small village called Kali-Karero, and
camped there, the natives having retired peacefully.
In half an hour they returned, and the ceremony of
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ATTACKED FROM BOTH BANKS. 199
brotherhood was entered upon, which insured a peaceful i876.
night. The inhabitants of Rukura, opposite us, also ^'^* ^^'
approached us with confidence, and an interchange of sang^
small gifts served us as a healthy augury for the future.
On the morning of the 29th, accompanied by a couple
of natives in a small fishing-canoe, we descended the
river along the left bank, and, after about four miles,
arrived at the confluence of the Kasuku, a dark-
water stream of a hundred yards* width at the mouth.
WAB-DRUMS OF THE TBIBBS OF THB UPPEB LIYIKG8T0KE.
Opposite the mouth, at the southern end of Kaimba —
a long wooded island on the right bank, and a little
above the confluence — stands the important village of
Kisanga-Sanga.
Below Kaimba Island and its neighbour, the Living-
stone assumes a breadth of 1800 yards. The banks
are very populous : the villages of the left bank com-
prise the district of Luavala. We thought for some
time we should be permitted to pass by quietly,
but soon the great wooden drums, hollowed out of
huge trees, thundered the signal along the river that
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200 THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1876. there were strangers. In order to lessen all chances
^ ^^' of a rupture between us, we sheered oflF to the middle
sangm. of the river^ and quietly lay on our paddles. But from
both banks at once, in fierce concert, the natives, with
their heads gaily feathered, and armed with broad
black wooden shields and long spears, dashed out
towards us.
Tippu-Tib before our departure had hired to me
two young men of Ukusu — cannibals — as interpreters.
These were now instructed to cry out the word
** Sennenneh ! " (" Peace ! '*), and to say that we were
friends.
But they would not reply to our greeting, and in a
bold peremptory manner told us to return.
" But we are doing no harm, friends. It is the river
that takes us down, and the river will not stop, or go
back."
" This is our river."
** Good. Tell it to take us back, and we will go.**
" If you do not go back, we will fight you."
" No, don't ; we are friends."
" We don't want you for our friends ; we will eat
you."
But we persisted in talking to them, and as their
curiosity was so great they persisted in listening, and
the consequence was that the current conveyed us near
to the right bank ; and in such near neighbourhood to
another district, that our discourteous escort had to
think of themselves, and began to skurry hastily up
river, leaving us unattacked.
The villages on the right bank also maintained a tre-
mendous drumming and blowing of war-horns, and their
wild men hurried up with menace towards us, urging
their sharp-prowed canoes so swiftly that they seemed
to skim over the water like flying fish. Unlike the
Luavala villagers, they did not wait to be addressed.
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LUCKILY, A BAD SHOT. 201
but as soon as they came within fifty or sixty yards i876.
they shot out their spears, crying out, " Meat ! meat ! ^^^ ^'
Ah! ha! We shall have plenty of meat ! Bo-bo-bo- San^*
bo, Bo-bo-bo-bo-o-o ! '*
Undoubtedly these must be relatives of the terrible
" Bo-bo-bo's " above, we thought, as with one mind we
rose to respond to this rabid man-eating tribe. Anger
we had none for them. It seemed to me so absurd to
be angry with people who looked upon one only as an
epicure would regard a fat capon. Sometimes also a
faint suspicion came to my mind that this was all but a
part of a hideous dream. Why was it that I should be
haunted with the idea that there were human beings
who regarded me and my friends only in the light of
meat ? Meat ! We ? Heavens ! what an atrocious idea !
"Meat! Ah! we shall have meat to-day. Meat!
meat! meat!"
There was a fat-bodied wretch in a canoe, whom I
allowed to crawl within spear-throw of me; who, while
he swayed the spear with a vigour far from assuring
to one who stood within reach of it, leered with such
a clever hideousness of feature that I felt, if only
within arm's length of him, I could have bestowed
upon him a hearty thump on the back, and cried out
applaudingly, " Bravo, old boy ! You do it capitally ! '*
Yet not being able to reach him, I was rapidly being
fascinated by him. The rapid movements of the swaying
spear, the steady wide-mouthed grin, the big square teeth,
the head poised on one side with the confident pose of
a practised spear-thrower, the short brow and square
face, hair short and thick. Shall I ever forget him ?
It appeared to me as if the spear partook of the same
cruel inexorable look as the grinning savage. Finally,
I saw him draw his right arm back, and his body
incline backwards, with still that same grin on his
face, and I felt myself begin to count, one, two,
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202 TEROUQH TEE DARK CONTINENT.
1876. three, four — and whizz I The spear flew over my
Dec. 80. i^Q^i^ j^^^ hissed as it pierced the water. The spell
was broken.
It was only five minutes' work clearing the river.
We picked up several shields, and I gave orders that
all shields should be henceforth religiously preserved,
for the idea had entered my head that they would
answer capitally as bulwarks for our canoes. An hour
after this we passed close to the confluence of the
Urindi — a stream 400 yards in width at the mouth,
and deep with water of a light colour, and tolerably
clear.
We continued down river along the right bank,
and at 4 p.m. camped in a dense low jungle, the haimt
of the hippopotamus and elephant during the dry
season. When the river is in flood a much larger
tract must be under water.
The left bank was between seventy and eicrhty feet
high; and a point hearing from camp north-wes^ was
about one hundred and fifty feet high.
The traveller's first duty in lands infested by lions
and leopards, is to build a safe corral, kraal, or boma,
for himself, his oxen, horses, servants ; and in lands
infested like Usongora Meno and Kasera — ^wherein we
now were— by human lions and leopards, the duty
became still more imperative. We drew our canoes,
therefore, half-way upon the banks, and our camp was
in the midst of an inapenetrable jungle.
On the high bluffs opposite was situated Vina-Kya.
The inhabitants at once manned their drums and canoes,
and advanced 1o wards our camp. We could not help
it. Here we were camped in a low jungle. How
could the most captious, or the most cruel, of men find
any cause or heart to blame us for resting on this
utterly uninhabitable spot ? Yet the savages of Vina-
Kya did. Our interpreters were urged to be eloquent.
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Lowwa,
IN TEE HOME OF THE ELEPHANTS. 203
And indeed they were, if I may judge by the gestures, ists.
which was the only language that was comprehen- ^^-^^^
sible to me. I was aflFected with a strange, envious
admiration for those two young fellows, cannibals it
is true, but endowed, none the less, with a talent for
making even senseless limbs speak — and they appeared
to have aflFected the savages of Vina-Kya also. At any
rate, the wild natures relented for that day ; but they
promised to decapitate us earl}' in the morning, for the
sake of a horrid barbecue they intended to hold. We
resolved not to wait for the entertainment.
At dawn we embarked, and descended about two
miles, close to the right bank, when, lo! the broad
mouth of the magnificent Low-wa, or Rowwa, river
burst upon the view. It was over a thousand yards
wide, and its course by compass was from the south-
east, or east-south-east true. A sudden rain-storm
compelled us to camp on the north bank, and here
we found ourselves under the shadows of the primeval
forest.
Judging from the height and size of these trees, I
doubt whether the right bank of the Livingstone
at the mouth of the Lowwa river was ever at any time
inhabited. An impenetrable undergrowth consisting
of a heterogeneous variety of ferns, young palms, date,
doum, Eaphia vinifera^ and the Mucuna pruriens — the
dread of the naked native for the tenacity with which
its stinging sharp-pointed bristles attach themselves
to the skin — masses of the capsicum plant, a hundred
species of clambering vines, caoutchouc creepers, Uianes,
and endless lengths of rattan cane intermeshed and
entangled, was jealously sheltered from sunlight by high,
over-arching, and interlacing branches of fine grey-
stemmed Rubiacea3, camwood and bombax, teak, elais
palms, ficus, with thick fleshy leaves, and tall gum-
trees. Such is 'the home of the elephants which
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204 THROUGH THE DABK CONTINENT.
1876. through this undergrowth have trodden the only paths
^ ^^' available. In the forks of trees were seen large lumps,
a spongy excrescence, which fosters orchids and tender
ferns, and from many of the branches depended the
Usneaa moss in graceful and delicate fringes. Along
the brown clayey shores, wherever there is the slightest
indentation in the banks and still water, were to be
found the CyperaceaB sedge, and in deeper recesses and
shallow water the papyrus.
In such cool, damp localities as the low banks near
the confluence of these two important streams, entomo-
logists might revel. The Myriapedes, with their
lengthy sinuous bodies of bright shiny chocolate or
deep black colour, are always one of the first species to
attract one's attention. Next come the crowded lines
of brown, black, or yellow ants, and the termites, which,
with an insatiable appetite for destruction, are ever
nibbling, gnawing, and prowling. If the mantis does
not arrest the eye next, it most assuredly will be an
unctuous earth caterpillar, with its polished and flexible
armour, suggestive of slime and nausea. The mantis
among insects is like the python among serpents. Its
strange figure, trance-like attitudes, and mysterious
ways have in all countries appealed to the imagination
of the people. Though sometimes five inches in length,
its waist is or^ly about the thickness of its leg. Gaunt,
weird, and mysterious in its action, it is as much a
wonder among insects as a mastodon would be in a farm-
yard. The ladybird attracts the careless eye as it slowly
wanders about by its brilliant red, spotted with black —
but if I were to enter into details of the insect life I saw
within the area of a square foot, an entire chapter might
readily be filled. But to write upon the natural wonders
of the tropics seems nowadays almost superfluous ; it is
so well understood that in these humid shades the earth
seethes with life, that in these undrained recesses the
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Deo. so.
Lowwa.
IN COVERT. 205
primitive laboratory of nature is located, for disturbing i876.
which the nnacclimatized will have to pay the bitter
penalty of malarial fever.
One hears much about '' the silence of the forest '* —
but the tropical forest is not silent to the keen observer.
The hum and murmur of hundreds of busy insect tribes
make populous the twilight shadows that reign under
the primeval growth. I hear the grinding of millions
of mandibles, the furious hiss of a tribe just alarmed or
about to rush to battle, millions of tiny wings rustling
through the nether air, the march of an insect tribe
under the leaves, the startling leap of an awakened
mantis, the chirp of some eager and garrulous cricket,
the buzz of an ant-lion, the roar of a bull-frog. Add to
these the crackle of twigs, the fall of leaves, the drop-
ping of nut and berry, the occasional crash of a branch,
or the constant creaking and swaying of the forest
tops as the strong wind brushes them or the gentle
breezes awake them to whispers. Though one were
blind and alone in the midst of a real tropical forest,
one's sense of hearing would be painfully alive to the fact
that an incredible number of minute industries, whose
number one could never hope to estimate, were active
in the shades. Silence is impossible in a tropical forest.
About ten o'clock, as we cowered in most miserable
condition under the rude, leafy shelters we had hastily
thrown up, the people of the wooded bluflFs of Iryamba,
opposite the Lowwa confluence, came over to see
what strange beings were those who had preferred the
secrecy of the uninhabited grove to their own loud roys-
tering society. Stock still we sat cowering in our leafy
coverts, but the mild reproachful voice of Katembo,
our cannibal interpreter, was heard labouring in the
interests of peace, brotherhood, and goodwill. The
rain pattered so incessantly that I could from my
position only faintly hear Katembo's voice pleading.
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206 THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1876. earnestly yet mildly, with his unsophisticated brothers
^^ ^^' of Iryamba, but I felt convinced from the angelic tones
that they would act as a sedative on any living creature
except a rhinoceros or a crocodile. The long-drawn
bleating sound of the word " Sen-nen-neh/* which I
heard frequently uttered by Katembo, I studied until I
became quite as proficient in it ds he himself.
Peace was finally made between Katembo on the one
hand and the canoe-men of Iryamba on the other, and
they drew near to gaze at their leisure at one of the
sallow white men, who with great hollow eyes peered,
from under the vizor of his cap, on the well-fed bronze-
skinned aborigines.
After selling us ten gigantic plantains, 13 inches
long and 3 inches in diameter, they informed us that
we had halted on the shore of Luru, or Lulu, in the
uninhabited portion of the territory of Wanpuma, a
tribe which lived inland ; that the Lowwa came from
the east, and was formed of two rivers, called the
Lulu from the north-east, and the Lowwa from the
south-east ; that about a day's journey up the Lowwa
river was a great cataract, which was " very loud/*
The Livingstone, from the base of Iryamba bluffs on
the left bank to our camp on the right bank, a mile
below the confluence, was about two thousand yards in
width. By dead reckoning we ascertained the latitude
to be south 1® 28', or 24 miles north of the TJrindi
affluent of the Livingstone, 95 miles north of the Lira,
and 199 geographical miles north of the mouth of the
Luama affluent.
The relative rank of these four great tributaries may
be estimated by their width, at or near the confluence.
The Luama was 400 yards wide ; the Lira 300 yards,
but deep ; the Urindi, 500 yards ; the Lowwa, 1000
yards. The parallel of latitude in which the Lowwa
mouth is situated is fifty miles north of the extreme
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Lorn.
A STORM ON TEE RIVER. 207
north end of Lake Tanganika. From all I could gather isre.
by a comparison of names and the relative authenticity ^^* ^^*
of my informants, I am inclined to believe that the
sources of this last great river may be placed near
the south-west corner of Lake Muta-Nzig^ ; also, that
the TJrindi's head streams must approach the sources of
the Luanda, which joins the Rusizi, and flows into
Lake Tanganika, and that the Lira must drain the
country west of Uvira.
The length of the Urindi river, which empties into
the Livingstone only fifteen miles south of the Lowwa,
may be estimated by a glance at the course of the
Luama, which I followed from its source to its con-
fluence with the Lualaba. In the same manner, the
Lira's course and length may be judged.
The growing importance and volume of the tribu-
taries as we proceed north also proves a northern pro-
longation of the mountain chain, which shut« in Tan-
ganika on the west, and probably a slight deflection to
the eastward. It will be observed also that while the
Luama, the Lulindi, the Kunda, the Kariba, the Ru-
muna, the Kipembwe, the Lira, Urindi, and Lowwa
rivers all issue from the country east, within a length
of about two hundred miles of the Livingstone, wo
have only discovered two ^comparatively small rivers,
the Ruiki and the Kasuku, issuing from the west side
during the same course. The nature of the eastern
country may be judged after a study of the chapter
descriptive of our journey from Lake Tanganika to the
mouth of the Luama.
At 2 P.M. we left our camp in the forest of Luru, and
pulled across to the Iryamba side of the Livingstone.
But as soon as the rain had ceased, a strong breeze had
risen, which, when we were in mid-river, increased to
a tempest from the north, and created great heavy
waves, which caused the foundering of two of our
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208 THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1876. canoes, the drowning of two of our men, Farjalla
Dec 31. gg^pg^jjg^ g^jj^ Naslfo, zxi^L the loss of four muskets and
'^ one sack of beads. Half a dozen other canoes were
in great danger for a time, but no more fatal accidents
occurred.
I feared lest this disaster might cause the people
to rebel and compel me to return, for it had shocked
them greatly ; but I was cheered to hear them remark
that the sudden loss of their comrades had been ordained
by fate, and that no precautions would have availed to
save them. But though omens and auguries were de-
livered by the pessimists among us, not one hazarded
aloud the belief that we ought to relinquish our
projects; yet they were all evidently cowed by our
sudden misfortune.
On the 31st, the last day of the year 1876, we re-
sumed our voyage. The morning was beautiful, the
sky blue and clear, the tall forest still and dark, the
river flowed without a ripple, like a solid mass of
polished silver. Everything promised fair. But from
the island below, the confluence of the Lowwa and the
Livingstone, the warning drum sounded loudly over
the river, and other drums soon echoed the dull boom.
" Keep together, my men," I cried, ** there may be
hot work for us below.'*
We resolved to keep in mid-stream, because both the
island and the left bank appeared to be extremely
populous, and to paddle slowly and steadily down river.
The canoes of the natives darted from either shore,
and there seemed to be every disposition made for a
furious attack ; but as we drew near, we shouted out
to them, " Friends, Sennenneh ! Keep away from us.
We shall not hurt you ; but don't lift your spears, or
we'll fight."
There was a moment's hesitation, wherein spears
were clashed against shields, and some fierce words
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NEW TEARS DAT. 2C0
uttered, but finally the canoes drew back, and as we is??,
continued to paddle, the river with its stiff current ^^^^^ ^•
soon bore us down rapidly past the populous district ^^^^
and island.
Before we finally passed by the latter, we came
to another island which was uninhabited, and, after
descending by a narrow channel, we crossed the mouth
of a stream about twenty-five yards wide, flowiug from
the west side, in which were several small canoes and
some dozen fishermen, lifting their nets from among
the sedge.
At noon of this day we came to the southern end of
an uninhabited low and sandy island, where I ascer-
tained the latitude to be south V 20' 3''. The altitude,
above sea-level, of the river at this place is 1729 feet.
South of this position we struck across to the right
bank again and discovered a small river 40 yards wide
at the mouth, nearly opposite which, about mid-stream,
are five low and bush-covered islets. After descending
some five miles we formed our camp in the woods on
the right bank.
The beginning of the new year, 1877, commenced,
the first three hours after sunrise, with a delicious
journey past an uninhabited tract, when my mind,
wearied with daily solicitude, found repose in dwelling
musingly upon the deep slumber of Nature. Outwardly
the forest was all beauty, solemn peace, and soft dreamy
rest, tempting one to sentiment and mild melancholy.
Though it was vain to endeavour to penetrate with
our eyes into the dense wall of forest — black and
impervious to the sunlight which almost seemed to
bum up the river — what could restrain the imagina-
tion ? These were my calm hours, periods when my
heart, oblivious of the dark and evil days we had
passed, resolutely closed itself against all dismal foro-
voL. n. — 14
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210 THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1877. bodings, and revelled in the exquisite stillness of the
januarj 1. uninhabited wilderness.
^^^ But soon after nine o'clock we discovered we were
approaching settlements, both Dn islands and on the
banks, and again the hoarse war-drums awaked the
echoes of the forest, boomed along the river, and
quickened our pulses.
We descend in close order as before, and steadily
pursue our way. But, heading us off, about ten long
canoes dart out from the shadow of palmy banks, and
the wild crews begin to chant their war-songs, and
now and tlien, in attitudes of bravado and defiance,
raise spears and shields aloft and bring them downward
with sounding clash.
As we approached them, we shouted out " Sen-nen-
neh ''—our Sesame and Shibboleth, our watchword and
countersign. But they would not respond.
Hitherto they had called us Wasambye; we were
now called Wajiwa (people of the sun ?) ; our guns were
called Katadzi, while before they were styled Kibongeh,
or lightning. Katembo was implored to be eloquent,
mild of voice, pacific in gesture.
They replied, "We shall eat Wajiwa meat to-day.
Oho, we shall eat Wajiwa meat!" and then an old
chief gave some word of command, and at once 100
paddles beat the water into foam, and the canoes darted
at us. But the contest was short, and we were per-
mitted to pursue our voyage.
The river, beyond these islands, expanded to a
breadth of 3000 yards : the left bank being high, and the
right low. At noon we were in south latitude 1° 10'.
Five miles below, the river narrowed to about 2800
yards, and then we floated down past an uninhabited
stretch, the interval affording us rest, until, reaching
the southern end of a large island, we camped, lest we
might be plunged into hostilities once more.
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BULLETS AOAINST SFEAR8. 211
The 2nd January was a lively day. We first ran the is??.
gauntlet past Kirorabuka, an exciting affair, and next ^*°[^ ^
we were challenged by Mwana-Mara's fierce sons, who Kyam.
were soon joined by Mwana Vibondo's people, and about .
10.30 A.M. we had to repulse an attack made by the
natives of Lombo a Kiriro. We had fought for three
hours almost without a pause, for the Kewanjawa and
Watomba tribe from the left bank had joined in the
savage melee, and had assisted the tribes of the right
bank. Then for an hour we had rest ; but after that we
came to islands, which we afterwards discovered were
called Kibombo, and, finding the tribe of Amu Nyam
preparing for battle with animation, we took advantage
of one of the group to see if we could not negotiate
a peaceful passage before risking another fight. The
latitude of this island was south 0^ 52' 0".
Katembo, our interpreter, and his friend, were de-
spatched in a canoe manned by eight men, halfway to
the shore, to speak fair and sweet words of peace to the
Amu Nyam. No verbal answer was given to them,
but they had to retreat in a desperate hurry before a
rapidly advancing crowd of canoes. The Amu Nyams
had evidently not had time to be undeceived by their
friends above, for they came up with a dauntless
bearing, as though accustomed to victory. Yet we
held out copper armlets and long strings of shells
to them, vociferously shouting out ** Sen-nen-neh," with
appropriate and plausible gestures. They laughed
at us; and one fellow, who had a mighty door- like
shield painted black with soot, using his long spear as
an index finger, asked us — if Katembo spoke correctly
— if we thought we could disappoint them of so much
meat by the presents of a few shells and a little copper.
Our canoes were lying broadside along the reedy
island, and as soon as the first spears were thrown, the
Wangwana received orders to reply to them with brass
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212 TUROUQU THE DARK CONTINENT.
1877. slugs, which created such a panic that a couple of shots
January 2. fp^^ gg^}j jq^ii sufBccd to drive them back in confusion.
Nyam. After a while they recovered, and from a distance
began to fly their poisoned arrows; but the Sniders
responded to them so effectually that they finally
desisted, and we were again free from our meat-loving
antagonists.
About 2 P.M. we dropped down river again a few
miles, and at 4.30 p.m. halted to camp at an old clearing
on the right bank. Had we dared, we might have
continued our journey by night, but prudence forbade
the attempt, as cataracts might have been more disas-
trous than cannibals.
Near sunset we were once more alarmed by finding
arrows dropping into the camp. Of course there was
a general rush to guns ; but, upon noting the direction
whence the arrows came, I ordered the people simply
to go on about their duties as though nothing hud
occurred, while I sent twenty men in two canoes down
the river with instructions to advance upon the enemy
from behind, but by no means to fire unless they were
overwhelmed in numbers.
Just at dark our canoes came back with three
prisoners bound hand and foot. Except the poor
dwarf at Ikondu up river, I had not seen any human
creatures so unlovable to look at. There was no one
feature about them that even extravagant charity could
indicate as elevating them into the category of noble
savages. I do not think I was prejudiced ; I examined
their faces with eyes that up to that time had gazed
into the eyes of over five hundred thousand black
men. They were intolerably ugly. I would not disturb
them, however, that evening, but releasing their feet, and
relaxing the bonds on their arms, appointed Katembo and
his friend to keep them company and feed them, and
Wadi Eehani to stimulate the keepers to be hospitable.
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""SEN'NEN'NEni SEN-NJUN-NEE r 213
By the morning they were sociable, and replied is??,
readily to our questions. They were of the Wanongi ^^^f'
— an inland tribe — but they had a small fishing village
about an hour's journey below our camp called Katumbi.
A. powerful tribe called the Mwana Ntaba occupied a
country below Katumbi, near some falls, which they
warned us would be our destruction. On the left side
of the river, opposite the Mwana Ntaba, were the
Wavinza, south of a large river called the Rumami, or
Lumami. The great river on which we had voyaged
was known to them as the Lowwa.
As we stepped into our canoes we cut their bonds and
permitted the unlovable and unsympathetic creatures
to depart, a permission of which they availed them-
selves gladly.
The banks were from 10 to 30 feet high, of a grey-
brown clay, and steep with old clearings, which were
frequent at this part until below Katumbi. Half an
hour afterwards we arrived at a channel which flowed
in a sudden bend to the north-east, and, following it,
we found ourselves abreast of a most populous shore,
close to which we glided. Presently several large
canoes appeared from behind an island to our right,
and seemed to be hesitating as to whether they should
retreat or advance.
The " Open Sesame *' — " Sen-nen-neh !" — was loudly
uttered by Katembo with his usual pathetic, bleating
accent, and to our joy the word was repeated by over
a hundred voices. " Sen-nen-neh ! Sennenneh ! Sen-
nenneh ! " — each voice apparently vying with Xhe
other in loudness. The river bore us down, and as
they would not shorten the distance, we thought it
better to keep this condition of things, lest the move-
ment might be misconstrued, and we might be precipi-
tated into hostilities.
For half an hour we glided down in this manner,
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214 TEBOUOn THE DARK CONTINENT.
1877. keeping up a constant fire of smiling compliments and
January 8. p^thetic Scnnennehs. Indeed, we were discovering that
there was much virtue in a protracted and sentimental
pronunciation of Sen-nen-neh ! The men of the Expe-
dition, who had previously ridiculed with mocking
Ba-a-a-a-as, the absurd moan and plaintive accents of
Sen-nen-neh, which Katembo had employed, now
admired him for his tact. The good natives with
whom we were now exchanging these suave, bleating
courtesies proved to us that the true shibboleth of
peace was to prolong each word with a quavering moan
and melancholic plaint.
We came to a banana grove, of a delicious and luxu-
riant greenness which the shadowy black green of the
antique forest behind it, only made more agreeable and
pleasant. Beyond this grove, the bank was lined by
hundreds of men and women, standing or sitting down,
their eyes directed towards our approaching flotilla.
" Sen-nen-neh r* was delivered with happy eflFect by
one of the boat-boys. A chorus of Sen-nen-nehs, long-
drawn, loud, and harmonious, quickly following ' the
notes of the last syllable, burst from the large assembly,
until both banks of the great river re-echoed it with all
its indescribable and ludicrous pathos.
The accents were peaceful, the bearing of the people
and the presence of the women were unmistakably
pacific, so the word was given to drop anchor.
The natives in the canoes, who had hitherto preceded
us, were invited to draw near, but they shrugged their
shoulders, and declined the responsibility of beginning
any intercoui'se with the strangers. We appealed to
the concourse on the banks, for we were not a hundred
feet from them. They burst out into a loud laughter,
yet with nothing of scorn or contempt in it, for we
had been so long accustomed to the subtle diflferences
of passion that we were by this time adepts in discover-
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TEMPTING TEE FEMALE MIND. 215
ing tte nicest shades of feeling which wild humanity 1877.
is capable of expressing. We held out our hands to ^*^"*^ ^
them with palms upturned, heads sentimentally leaning
on one side, and, with a captivating earnestness of
manner, begged them to regard us as friends, strangers
far from their homes, who had lost their way, but were
endeavouring to find it by going down the river.
The effect is manifest. A kind of convulsion of
tenderness appears to animate the entire host. Ex-
pressions of pity break from them, and there is a quick
interchange of sympathetic opinions.
" Ah,*' thought I, " how delighted Livingstone would
have been had he been here to regard this scene!
Assuredly he would have teen enraptured, and become
more firmly impressed than ever with the innocence
and guilelessness of true aborigines,'* and I am forced
to admit it is exceedingly pleasant, but — I wait.
We hold up long necklaces of beads of various
colours to view : blue, red, white, yellow, and black.
" Ah-h-h,** sigh a great many, admiringly, and
heads bend toward heads in praise and delight of
them.
"Come, my friends, let us talk. Bring one canoe
here. These to those who dare to approach us." There
is a short moment of hesitation, and then some forms
disappear, and presently come out again bearing gourds,
chickens, bananas, and vegetables, &c., which they
place carefully in a small canoe. Two women step in
and boldly paddle towards us, while a deathly silence
prevails among my people as well as among the abo-
rigines on the bank.
I observed one or two coquettish airs on the
part of the two women, but though my arm was
getting tired with holding out so long in one position
those necklaces of glorious beads, I dared not withdraw
them, lest the fascination might be broken. I felt
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216 TEBOUQU THE DARK CONTINENT.
1877. myself a martyr in the cause of public peace, and the
January 8. gentimcnt made me bear up stoically.
"^ ^ " Boy," I muttered, in an undertone, to Mabruki,
my gun-bearer, " when the canoe is alongside, seize it
firmly and do not let it escape."
** Inshallah, my master/'
Nearer the canoe came, and with its approacb my
blandness increased, and further I projected my arm
with those beads of tempting colours.
At last the canoe was paddled alongside. Mabruki
quietly grasped it. I then divided the beads into sets,
talking the while to Katembo — who translated for me
— of the happiness I felt at the sight of two such
beautiful women coming out to see the white chief,
who was so good, and who loved to talk to beautiful
women. " There ! these are for you — and these are for
you," I said to the steerswoman and her mate.
They clapped their hands in glee, and each woman
held out her presents in view of the shore people ; and
hearty hand-claps from all testified to their grateful
feeliugs.
The women then presented me with the gourds of
malofu — palm-wine — the chickens, bananas, potatoes,
and cassava they had brought, which were received
by the boat's crew and the interested members of the
Expedition with such a hearty clapping of hands that
it sent the shore people into convulsions of laughter.
Mabruki was told now to withdraw his hand, as the
women were clinging to the boats themselves, and
peace was assured. Presently the great native canoes
drew near and alongside the boat, forming dense walls
of strange humanity on either side.
" Tell us, friends," we asked, " why it is you are so
friendly, when those up the river are so wicked."
Then a chief said, " Because yesterday some of our
fishermen were up the river on some islets near Kibombo
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THE REWABD OF A GOOD DEED. 217
Island, opposite the Amu-Nyam villages; and when 1877.
we heard the war-drums of the Amu-Nyara we looked ^j^]|^^^'
up, and saw your canoes coming down. You stopped
at Kibomho Island, and we heard you speak to them,
saying you were friends. But the Amu-Nyara are
bad ; they eat people, we don't. They fight with us
frequently, and whomsoever they catch they eat. They
fought with you, and while you were . fighting our
fishermen came down and told us that the Wajiwa**
(we) " were coming ; but they said that they heard the
Wajiwa say that they came as friends, and that they did
not want to fight. To-day we sent a canoe, with a
woman and a boy up the river, with plenty of pro-
visions in it. If you liad been bad people, you would
have taken that canoe. We were behind the bushes of
that island watching you ; but you said * Sen-nen-neh '
to them, and passed into the channel between the
island and our villages. Had you seized that canoe,
our drums would have sounded for war, and you
would have had to fight us, as you fought the Amu-
Nyam. We have left our spears on one of those
islands. See, we have nothing/*
It was true, as I had already seen, to my wonder and /
admiration. Here, then, I had opportunities for noting
what thin barriers separated ferocity from amiability.
Only a couple of leagues above lived the cannibals of
Amu-Nyam, who had advanced towards us with evil
and nauseous intentions ; but next to them was a tribe
which detested the unnatural custom of eating their own
species, with whom we had readily formed a pact of
peace and goodwill !
They said their country was called Kankor^, the
chief of which was Sangarika, and that the village
opposite to us was Maringa ; and that three miles
below was Simba-Simba ; that their country was small,
and only reached to the end of the islands ; that after
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218 TEROUan TEE DARK CONTINENT.
1877. we had passed the islands we should come to the terri-
Januaiys. ^^^ ^£ ^^ Mwana Ntaba, with whom we should have
to fight; that the Mwaua Ntaba people occupied the
country as far as the falls ; that below the falls were
several islands inhabited by the Baswa, who were friends
of the Mwana Ntaba. It would be impossible, they
said, to go over the falls, as the river swept against a
hill, and rolled over it, and tumbled down, down, down,
with whirl and uproar, and we should inevitably get
lost. It would be far better, they said, for us to return.
The strange disposition to rechristen the great river
with the name of its last great affluent, was here again
exemplified, for the Kankore tribe called the river at
the falls the Rumami, or Lumami, and it became known
no more as the Lowwa.
Other information we received was that the Watwa
and Waringa tribes lived on the other side of the Lu-
mami. The dwarfs, called Wakwanga, were said to be
in a south-west direction. The Wavinza occupied the
tract between the Lumami and tlie Lowwa opposite to
us. The Bakutzi, or Wakuti, live west across the Lu-
mami, which agrees with Abed the guide's story. On
the right bank are situate Kankura, Mpassi, and
Mburri ; the chief of the last-mentioned country being
Mungamba. There is also a tribe called the Ba-ama,
whose chief, Subiri, trades in dogs and shells. Dogs
are considered by the Ba-ama as greater delicacies than
sheep and goats. But we were specially instructed to
beware of the Bakumu, a powerful tribe of light-com-
plexioned cannibals, who came originally from the
north-east, and who, armed with bows and arrows,
had conquered a considerable section of Uregga, and
had even crossed the great river. They would un-
doubtedly, we were told, seek us out and massacre us all.
The Kankor6 men were similar in dress and tattooing
to the Waregga, through whose forests we had passed.
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A niVER ARMADA. 219
The women wore bits of carved wood and necklaces of 1877.
tbe Achatina fossil shell around their necks, while iron ^^^^^ *•
rings, brightly polished, were worn as armlets and leg kuS!
ornaments.
Having obtained so much information from the
amiable Kankor^, we lifted our stone anchors and moved
gently down stream. Before each village we passed
groups of men and women seated on the banks, who
gave a genial response to our peaceful greeting.
We were soon below the islands on our left, and from
a course north by west the river gradually swerved to
north by east, and the high banks on our right, which
rose from 80 to 160 feet, towered above us, with grassy
breaks here and there agreeably relieving the sombre
foliage of groves.
About 2 P.M., as we were proceeding quietly and
listening with all our ears for the terrible falls of which
we had been warned, our vessels being only about
thirty yards from the right bank, eight men with
shields darted into view from behind a bush-clump,
and, shouting their war-cries, launched their wooden
spears. Some of them struck and dinted the boat
deeply, others flew over it. We shoved off instantly,
and getting into mid-stream found that we had heed-
lessly exposed ourselves to the watchful tribe of Mwana
Ntaba, who immediately sounded their great drums,
and prepared their numerous canoes for battle.
XJp to this time we had met with no canoes over
50 feet long, except that antique century-old vessel
which we had repaired as a hospital for our small-pox
patients ; but those which now issued from the banks
and the shelter of bends in the banks were monstrous.
The natives were in full war-paint, one-half of their
bodies being daubed white, the other half red, with
broad black bars, the tout ensemble being unique and
diabolical. There was a crocodilian aspect about these
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220 THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1877. lengthy vessels which was far from assuriug, while
J^uary4. ^j^^ fighting men, standing up alternately with the
Ntaba. paddlers, appeared to be animated with a most ferocious
cat-o'-mountain spirit. Horn-blasts which reverberated
from bank to bank, sonorous drums, and a chorus of
loud yells, lent a fierce 6clat to the fight in which we
were now about to be engaged.
We formed line, and having arranged all our shields
as bulwarks for the non-combatants, awaited the first
onset with apparent calmness. One of the largest
canoes, which we afterwards found to be 85 feet 3 inches
in length, rashly made the mistake of singling out the
boat for its victim ; but we reserved our fire until it
MWANA KTABA CAKOE (tHE " CBOCODILE ").
was within 50 feet of us, and after pouring a volley
into the crew, charged the canoe with the boat, and
the crew, unable to turn her round sufficiently soon to
escape, precipitated themselves into the river and swam
to their friends, while we made ourselves masters of
the Great Eastern of the Livingstone. We soon ex-
changed two of our smaller canoes and manned the
monster with thirty men, and resumed our journey in
line, the boat in front acting as a guide. This early
disaster to the Mwana Ntaba caused them to hurry
down river, blowing their horns, and alarming with
their drums both shores of the river, until about forty
canoes were seen furiously dashing down stream, no
doubt bent on mischief.
At 4 P.M. we came opposite a river about 200 yards
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BETWIXT CATAEACT3 AND CANNIBALS. 221
wide, which I have called the Leopold River, in honour is??,
of His Majesty Leopold II., King of the Belgians, ^''^^J"
and which the natives called either the Kankora, Nuba.
Mikonju, or Munduku. Perhaps, the natives were mis-
leading me, or perhaps they really possessed a super-
fluity of names, but I think that whatever name they
give it should be mentioned in connection with each
stream.
Soon after passing by the confluence, the Living-
stone, which above had been 2500 yards wide, per-
ceptibly contracted, and turned sharply to the east-
north-east, because of a hill which rose on the left
bank about 300 feet above the river. Close to the
elbow of the bend on the right bank we passed by some
white granite rocks, from 1 to 6 feet above the water,
and just below these we heard the roar of the First
Cataract of the Stanley Falls series.
But louder than the noise of the falls rose the pier-
cing yells of the savage Mwana Ntaba from both sides
of the great river. We now found ourselves con-
fronted by the inevitable necessity of putting into
practice the resolution which we had formed before
setting out on the wild voyage — to conquer or die.
What should we do? Shall we turn and face the
fierce cannibals, who with hideous noise drown the
solemn roar of the cataract, or shall we cry out
" Mambu Kwa Mungu " — '* Our fate is in the hands of
God ** — and risk the cataract with its terrors 1
Meanwhile, we are sliding smoothly to our destruc-
tion, and a decision must therefore be arrived at
instantly. God knows, I and my fellows would rather
have it not to do, because possibly it is only a choice
of deaths, by cruel knives or drowning. If we do
not choose the knives, which are already sharpened
for our throats, death by drowning is certain. So
finding ourselves foce to face with the inevitable, we
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222 TEBOUGE TEE DARK CONTINENT.
1877. turn to the riglit bank upon the savages, who are in
January 4. ^jj^ Tvoods and ou the Water. We drop our anchors
iiuba. and begin the fight, but after fifteen minutes of it
find that we cannot force them away. We then pull
up anchors and ascend stream again, until, arriving at
the elbow above mentioned, we strike across the river
and divide our forces. Manwa Sera is to tjxke four
canoes and to continue up stream a little distance,
and, while we occupy the attention of the savages in
front, is to lead his men through the woods and set
upon them in rear. At 6.30 p.m. we make the attempt,
and keep them in play for a few minutes, and on
hearing a shot in the woods dash at the shore, and
under a shower of spears and arrows effect a landing.
From tree to tree the fight is continued until sunset,
when, having finally driven the enemy off, we have
earned peace for the night.
Until about 10 p.m. we are busy constructing an
impenetrable stockade or boraa of brushwood, and then
at length, we lay our sorely fatigued bodies down to
rest, without comforts of any kind and without fires,
but (1 speak for myself only) with a feeling of grati-
tude to Him who had watched over us in our trouble,
and a humble prayer that His protection may be
extended to us, for the terrible days that may yet
be to come.
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Fianmra betimes. 223
CHAPTER TIIL
Fighting betimes — Blazing a path — We take an island by storm— A
desperate dilemma — Boad-making nnder fire — A miraculous escape
— A terrible march — Peace by stratagem — Below the Fifth Cataract
— Our cannibal captives — Fighting the Wana-Bukura — The Wana-
Bukura islanders — Approaching the Seyenth Cataract — A deserted
island — The Seventh Cataract of the Stanley Falls — The first of
the cataracts — Clear of the Stanley Falls.
At 4 A.u. of the 5th January we were awake, cooking 1677.
betimes the food that was to strengthen ns for the ^*°°"7 ^
task that lay before us, while the screaming lemur and kIS^
the soko still alarmed the daik forest with their weird
cries.
We were left undisturbed until 8 a.m., when the
canoes of the Mwana Ntaba were observed to cross
over to the left bank, and in response to their signals
the forest behind our camp was soon alive with wild
men. Frank distributed thirty rounds to each of the
forty-three guns which now remained to us. Including
my own guns, we possessed only forty-eight altogether,
as Manwa Sera had lost four Sniders in the Ukassa
Rapid, and by the capsizing of the two canoes in the
tempest, which struck us as we crossed the Livingstone
below its confluence with the Lowwa, we had lost four
muskets. But more terrible for our enemies than
Sniders or muskets was the courage of despair that
now nerved every heart and kept cool and resolute
every head.
By river the cannibals had but little chance of
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221 TEBOUGE THE DABK CONTINENT.
1877. success, and this the Mwana Ntaba after a very few
^7 ^ rounds from our guns discover ; they therefore allied
Cau^t, themselves with the Baswa tribe, which during the
^fSiT night had crossed over from its islands, below the
first falls. Until 10 a.m. we held our own safely in
the camp, but then breaking out of it we charged on
the foe, and until 3 p.m. were incessantly at work.
Ten of our men received wounds, and two were killed.
To prevent them becoming food for the cannibals,
we consigned them to the swift brown flc»od of the
Livingstone.
The Mwana Ntaba and the Baswas at length re-
tired, and though we momentarily expected a visit
from them each day, for the next two or three days
we were unmolested.
Early on the morning of the 6th I began to
explore the First Cataract of the Stanley Falls. I
found a small stream about two hundred yards wide,
separated by a lateral dyke of igneous rocks from the
main stream, which took the boat safely down for a
couple of miles. Then presently other dykes appeared,
some mere low narrow ridges of rock and others,
much larger and producing tall trees, inhabited by
the Baswa tribe. Among these islets the left stream
rushed down in cascades or foamy sheets, over low
terraces, with a fall of from one foot to ten feet.
The Baswas, no doubt, have recently fled to these
islets to seek refuge from some powerful tribe situated
inland west of the river.
The main stream, 900 yards wide, rushed towards
the east-north-east, and, after a mile of rapids, tilted
itself against a hilly ridge that lay north and south,
the crest of which was probably 300 feet above the
river. With my glass, from the fork of a tree 20 feet
above the ground, I saw at once tliat a descent by the
right side was an impossibility, as the waves were
Digitized
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BLAZING A FATE. 225
enormous, and the slope so great that the river's face is??,
was all a foam ; and that at the base of the hilly ^"^^ **
ridge which obstructed its course the river seemed Catarmct.
piling itself into a watery bank, whence it escaped into
a scene of indescribable confusion down to the horror
of whirling pools, and a mad confluence of tumbling,
rushing waters. It was now quite easy to understand
why our friends the Kankore people, in attempting to
illustrate the scene at the First Cataract, placed one
hand overlapping the other — they meant to say that the
water, driven with impetuosity against the hill, rose up
and overlapped the constant flow from the steep slope.
I decided, therefore, to go down along the left stream,
overland, and to ascertain the best route I took eight
men with me, leaving five to guard the boat. Within
two hours we had explored the jungle, and " blazed ** a
path below the falls— a distance of two miles.
Then returning to camp I sent Frank off* with a
detachment of fifty men with axes, to clear the path,
and a musket-armed guard of fifteen men, to be
stationed in the woods parallel with the projected land
route, and, leaving a guard of twenty men to protect
the camp, I myself rowed up river along the left
bank, a distance of three miles. Within a bend, a
mile above our camp, I discovered a small black-water
river, about forty yards wide, issuing from the south-
west, which I named Black River, from the colour of
its water. Two miles above this, the afiluent Luraami,
which Livingstone calls '* Young's River," entered the
great stream, by a mouth 600 yards wide, between
low banks densely covered with trees. At noon I
took an observation of the sun — the declination of
which being south gave me a clear water horizon —
and ascertained it to be south latitude 0° 32' 0''.
By noon of the 7th, having descended with the
canoes as near as prudence would permit to the first
VOL. n. — 15
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226 THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1877. fall of the left stream, we were ready for hauling the
^^^^^ ^ canoes overland. A road, 15 feet in width, had been
cut through the tangle of rattan, palms, vines, creepers,
and brushwood, tolerably straight except where great
forest monarchs stood untouched, and whatever brush-
wood had been cut from the jungle had been laid across
the road in thick piles. A rude camp had also been
constructed half-way on the river side of the road, into
which everything was conveyed. By 8 p.m. we had
hauled the canoes over one mile of ground.
The next day, while the people were still fresh, we
buckled on to the cnnoes, and by 3 p.m. of the 8th
had passed the falls and rapids of the First Cataract,
and were afloat in a calm creek between Baswa Island
and the left bank !
Not wishing to stay in such a dangerous locality
longer than was absolutely necessary, we re-embarked,
and descending cautiously down the creek, came, in a
short time to the great river, with every prospect of
a good stretch of serene water. But soon we heard
the roar of another cataract, and had to hug the
left bank closely. Then we entered other creeks, which
wound lazily by jungle-covered islets, and after two
miles of meanderings among most dismal islands and
banks, emerged in view of the great river, with the
cataract's roar sounding solemnly and terribly near.
As it was near evening, and our position was ex-
tremely unpleasant, we resolved to camp for the night
at an island which lay in mid-stream. Meanwhile, we
heard drums and war-horns sounding on the left bank,
and though the islanders also responded to them, of the
two evils it was preferable to risk an encounter with
the people of the island rather than with those of the
main, until we could discover our whereabouts. We
had no time for consultation, or even thought — the
current was swift, and the hoarse roar of the Second
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WE TAKE AN ISLAND BY STORM. 227
Cataract was more sonorous than that of the first, is??,
thundering into our aflfrighted ears that, if we were J^^^^r s
swept over, destruction, sudden and utter, awaited us.
The islanders were hostilely alert and ready, but,
spurred on by our terror of the falls, we drove our
vessels straight on to the bank, about 500 feet above
the falling water. In fifteen minutes we had formed
a rude camp, and enclosed it by a slight brushwood
fence, while the islanders, deserting the island, crossed
over to their howling, yelling friends on the left bank.
In a small village close to our camp we found an
old lady, of perhaps sixty-five years of age, who was
troubled with a large ulcer in her foot, and had there-
fore been unable to escape. She was a very decent crea-
ture, and we carried her to our camp, where by dressing
her foot and paying her kind attentions we succeeded in
making her very communicative. But Katembo could
understand only very few words of her speech, which
proved to me that we were rapidly approaching lands
where no dialect that we knew would be available.
We managed to learn, however, that the name of the
island was Cheandoah, or Kewandoah, of the Baswa
tribe ; that the howling savages on the left bank were
the renowned Bakumu — cannibals, and most warlike ;
that the Bakumu used bows and arrows, and were the
tribe that had driven the Baswa long ago to seek refuge
on these islands. When we asked her the name of the
river she said Lumami was the name of the left branch,
and the Lowwa of the right branch. She gave the
word Kukeya as indicating the left bank, and Ngyeyeh
for the right bank. Waki-biano, she said, was the
name of the large island which we had passed when we
saw the villaj2:es of the Baswa below the first cataract.
The words Ubi, or Eybiteri, we understood her to
employ for the Falls as being utterly impassable.
During the morning of the 9th we explored the
Digitized
byG00gl(
228
THROUOH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1877. island of Cheandoah, which was much longer than we
ch^ndoah' ^^ ^^^* supposed. It was extremely populous, and con-
tained five villages. We discovered an abundance of
spears here and iron-ware of all kinds used by the
natives, such as
knives, hammers,
hatche ts, tweezers,
ABAswAKNiFE. auvils of Irou, or,
in other words, in-
verted hammers, borers, pole-burners, fish-hooks, darts,
iron rods ; all the spears possessed broad points, and
were the first of this style I had seen. Almost all
the knives, large and small, were encased in sheaths
of wood covered with goat-
skin, and ornamented with
polished iron bands. They
varied in size, from a
butcher's cleaver to a lady's
dirk, and belts of undressed
goat-skin, of red buffalo or
antelope hide, were attached
to them for suspension from
the shoulders. There were
also seen here iron bells, like
our cow and goat bells,
curiously carved whistles,
fetishes or idols of wood,
uncouth and rudely cut
figures of human beings,
brightly painted in vermi-
lion, alternating with black ; baskets made of palm
fibre, large wooden and dark clay pipes, iron rings
for arms and legs, numerous treasures of necklaces of
the Achatina monetariay the black seeds of a species of
plantain, and the crimson berries of the Ahrus preca-
toriiis ; copper, iron, and wooden pellets. The houses
STYLE OF KNIVES.
BA8WA BASKET AND COVEB.
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A DESPERATE DILEMMA. 229
were all of the gable-roofed pattern whicli we had
first noticed on the summit of the hills on which Riba-
Kiba, Manyeraa, is situate ; the shields of the Baswa
were also after the same type.
The vegetation of the island consisted of almost
every variety of plant and tree found in this region,
and the banana, plantain, castor-oil, sugar-cane, cassava,
and maize flourished; nor must the oil-palm be for-
gotten, for there were great jars of its dark-red butter
in many houses.
The grand problem now before me was how to steer
clear of the Bakumu savages of the left bank, whose
shouts and fierce yells came pealing to our ears, and
were heard even above the roar and tremendous crash
of the cataract. As I travelled round the island, many
desperate ideas suggested themselves to me, and if
I had been followed by a hundred practised and
daring men it might have been possible to have
dragged the canoes the length of the island past the
first terrace of the cataract, and, after dashing across
to Ntunduru Island, to have dragged them through its
jungle and risked the falls by Asama Island ; but there
were not thirty men in the entire Expedition capable of
listening to orders and implicitly obeying instructions.
To the east of Cheandoah the right branch was again
forked by another island, and the whole face of the
river was wild beyond description, and the din of its
furious waves stunning; while the western branch,
such was it5 force, went rushing down a terrace, and
then swept round in an extensive whirlpool, with a
central depression quite eighteen inches below the
outer rim. We pushed a rotten and condemned canoe
above the fall, watched it shoot down like an aiTow,
and circle round that terrible whirling pool and the
next instant saw it drawn in by that dreadful suction
and presently ejected stem foremost 30 yards below.
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.Ian. 11.
BakumiL
230 THROUGH THE LAfiK CONTINENT.
1877. Close to the bank were nooks and basin-like forma-
tions in the trap rocks in which every now and again
the water became strongly agitated, and receding about
twelve inches, would heave upwards with a rushing
and gurgling that was awful.
There was only one way to resolve the problem, and
that was to meet the Bakumu and dare their worst, and
then to drag the canoes through the dense forest on the
left bank. Accordingly, we prepared for what we felt
assured would be a stubborn contest. At early dawn of
the 10th January, with quick throbbing pulses, we stole
up river for about a mile, and then with desperate haste
dashed across to the shore, where we became immediately
engaged. We floated down to the bend just above the
cataract, and there secured our boats and canoes out of
the influence of the stream. Leaving Frank with eight
musketeers and sixty axes to form a stockade, I led
thirty-six men in a line through the bushes, and drove
the united Baswa and Bakumu backward to their
villages, the first of which were situated a mile from
the river. Here a most determined stand was made by
them, for they had piled up heaps of brushwood, and
cut down great trees to form defences, leaving only
a few men in front. We crept through the jungle
on the south side and succeeded in forcing an entrance,
and driving them out. We had thus won peace for
this day, and retreated to our camp. We then divided
the Expedition into two parties, or relays, one to
work by night, the other by day, after which I
took a picked body of pioneers with axes and
guns and cut a narrow path three miles in length,
which brought us opposite Ntunduru Island, blazing
the trees as a guide, and forming rude camps at intervals
of half a mile. Material — dried palm branches and
bundles of cane smeared over with gum frankincense
— ^was also brought from the village to form lights for
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ROAD-MAKING UNDER FIR,E. 231
the working parties at night : these were to be fastened
at elevated positions on trees to illuminate the jungle.
We were not further disturbed during this day. In
the evening Frank began his work with fifty axemen,
and ten men as scouts, deployed in the bushes in
front of the working parties. Before dawn we were
all awakened, and, making a rush with the canoes,
succeeded in safely reaching our first camp by 9 a.m.
with all canoes and baggage. During the passage of
the rear-guard the Bakumu made their presence known
to us by a startling and sudden outburst of cries ; but
the scouts immediately replied to them with their rifles,
and maintained their position until they were supported
by the other armed men, who were now led forward as
on the day before. We chased the savages two miles
inland, to other villages which we had not hitherto
seen, and these also we compelled them to abandon.
In the evening, Frank, who had enjoyed but a short
rest during the day, manfully set to work again, and by
dawn had prepared another three-quarters of a mile
of road. At 10 a.m. of the 12th, by another rush
forward, we were in our second camp. During this
day also there was a slight interchange of hostilities,
but, being soon released from the savages, the day
party was able to prepare half a mile of good road,
which Frank during the night was able to extend to
a mile and a quarter. By 5 p.m. of the 13 th therefore
we were safe in our third camp. Excepting Kacheche
and a few men detailed as sentries, we all rested for this
night, but in the morning, refreshed from our labours,
made the fourth and final rush, and thus, after seventy-
eight hours* terrific exertion, succeeded in reaching the
welcome river and launching our canoes.
The Bakumu, utterly disheartened by their successive
punishments and bad success, left us alone to try our
hands at the river, which, though dangerous, promised
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232 TEROUQH TEE DARK CONTINENT.
1877. greater progress than on land. The following two
j^*^^^**^ days' accounts of our journey are extracted from
my journal : —
" January 14. — As soon as we reached the river we began to float the
canoes down a two-mile stretch of rapids to a camp opposite the soath end of ,
Ntundnm Island. Six canoes were taken safely down by the gallant boat's
crew. The seventh canoe was manned by Muscati, Ulcdi Mnscati, and
Zaidi, a chief. Mnscad, the steersman, lost his presence of mind, and soon
npset his canoe in a piece of bad water. Muscat! and his friend Uledi
swam down the furious stream to Ntunduru Island, whence they were saved
by the eighth canoe, manned by stout-hearted Manwa Sera and Uledi, the
ooxswain of the Lady Alice; but poor Zaidi, the chief, paralysed by the
roar of the stream, unfortunately thought his safety was assured by
clinging to his canoe, which was soon swept past our new camp, in full view
of those who had been deputed with Frank to form it, to what seemed
inevitable death. But a kindly Providence, which he has himself gratefully
acknowledged, saved him even on the brink of eternity. The great fall
at the north end of Ntunduru Island happens to be disparted by a single
pointed rock, and on this the canoe was driven, and, borne down by the
weight of the waters, was soon split in two, one side of which got jammed
below, and the other was tilted upward. To this the almost drowned
man clung, while perched on the rocky point, with his ankles washed by
the stream. To his left, as he faced up-stream, there was a stretch of 50
yards of falling water ; to his right were nearly fifty yards of leaping
brown waves, while, close behind him the water fell down sheer six to eight
feet, through a gap 10 yards wide, between the rocky point on which he
was perched and a rocky islet 80 yards long.
" When called to the scene by his weeping friends, from my labours
up-river, I could scarcely believe my eyes, or realise the strange ohauce
which placed him there, and, certainly, a more critical position than the
poor fellow was in cannot be imagined. The words ' there is only a step
between me and the grave ' would have been very appropriate coming from
him. But the solitary man on that narrow-pointed rock, whose knees were
sometimes washed by rising waves, was apparently calmer than any of
us ; though we could approach him within fifty yards he could not hear
a word we said ; he could see us, and feel assured that we sympathised
with him in his terrible position.
" We then, after collecting our faculties, began to prepare means to save
him. After sending men to collect rattans, we formed a cable, by which
we attempted to lower a smaU canoe, but the instant it seemed to reach
him the force of the current hurrying to the faU was so great that
the cable snapped like pack-thread, and the canoe swept by him like an
arrow, and was engulfed, shattered, split, and pounded into fragments.
Then we endeavoured to toss towards him poles tied to creepers, but the
vagaries of the current and its convulsive heaving made it impossible to
reach him with them, while the man dared not move a hand, but sat silent,
watching our futile efforts, while the conviction gradually settled on our
minds that his doom, though protracted, was certain.
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In'tv ^'arcls of Vti'd
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■<,
Digitized
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A MIRACULOUS ESCAPE. 233
'•Then, after anxious deliberation with myself, I called for another 1377^
eanoe, and lashed to the bow of it a cable consisting of three one-inch Jan. 14.
rattans twisted together and strengthened by all the tent ropes. A similar Ktunduni
cable was lashed to the side, and a third was fastened to the stem,
each of these cables being 90 yards in length. A shorter cable, 80 yards
long, was lashed to the stem of the canoe, which was to be guided within
reach of him by a man in the canoe.
" Two volunteers were called for. No one would step forward. I offered
rewards. Still no one would respond. But when I began to speak to them,
asking them how they would like to be in such a position without a
single friend offering to assist in saying them, Uledi, the coxswain, came
forward and said, ' Enough, master, I wiU go. Mambu Kwa Mungu '— * My
fate is in the hands of God' — ^and immediately began preparing him-
self, by binding his loin-cloth firmly about hisv waist. Then Marzouk, a
boat-boy, said, ' Since Uledi goes, I will go too.' Other boat-boys, young
Shumari and Saywa, offered their services, but I checked them, and said,
' You surely are not tired of me, are you, that you all wish to die ? If all
my brave boat-boys are lost, what shall we do ?'
" Uledi and his friend Marzouk stepped into the canoe with the air
of gladiators, and we applauded them heartily, but enjoined on them to be
carefuL Then I turned to the crowd on the shore who were manning
the cables, and bade them beware of the least carelessness, as the lives
of the thi^ young men depended on their attention to the orders that
would be given.
" The two young volunteers were requested to paddle across river, so that
the stem might be guided by those on shore. The bow and side cables
were slackened until the canoe was within twenty yards of the roaring
fEdls, and Uledi endeavoured to guide the cable to Zaidi, but the convulsive
heaving of the river swept the canoe instantly to one side, where it hovered
over the steep slope and brown waves of the left branch, from the swirl
of which we were compelled to draw ii Five times the attempt was
made, but at last, the sixth time, encouraged by the safety of the cables, we
lowered the canoe until it was within ten yards of Zaidi, and Uledi lifted
the short cable and threw it over to him and struck his arm. He had just
time to grasp it before he was carried over into the chasm below. For
thirty seconds we saw nothing of him, and thought him lost, when his
head rose above the edge of the falling waters. Instantly the word was
given to * haul away,' but at the first pull the bow and side cables parted,
and the canoe began to glide down the left branch with my two boat-boys
on board I The stem cable next parted, and, horrified at the result, we stood
muttering ' La il Allah, il Allah,' watching the canoe severed from us
drifting to certain destruction, when we suddenly observed it halted.
Zaidi in the chasm clinging to his cable was acting as a kedge-anchor,
which swept the canoe against the rocky islet. Uledi and Marzouk sprang
out of the canoe, and leaning over assisted Zaidi out of the falls, and the
three, working with desperate energy, succeeded in securing the canoe on
the islet
" But though we hurrahed and were exceedingly rejoiced, their position
was still but a short reprieve from death. There were fifty yards of wild
Digitized
byG00gl(
234 TEROUQE TEE DARK CONTINENT.
1877. waves, and a resistlees msh of water, between them and safety, and to the
Jan, 15. pjgij^ Qf ^jjgm .^^jig n fg^\ 300 yards in width, and below was a mile of falls
Ktundnnk and rapids, and great whirlpools, and waves rising like little hills in the
middle of the terrible stream, and below these were the fell cannibals
of Wane-Mukwa and Asama.
" How to reach the islet was a question which now perplexed me. We
tied a stone to about a hundred yards of whipcord, and after the twentieth
attempt they managed to catch it. To the end of the whipcord they tied the
tent rope which had parted before, and drawing it to our side we tied the
stout rattan creeper, which they drew across taut, and fastened to a rock, by ^
which we thought we had begun to bridge the stream. But night drawing
nigh, we said to them that we would defer further experiment until morning.
" Meantime the ninth canoe, whose steersman was a supernumerary of the
boat, had likewise got upset, and he out of six men was drowned, to our
great regret, but the canoe was saved. All other vessels were brought
down safely, but so long as my poor faithful Uledi and his friends are on
the islet, and still in the arms of death, the m'ght finds us gloomy, sorrowing,
and anxious.
" January 15.— My first duty this morning was to send greetings to
the three brave lads on the islet, and to assure them that they should
be saved before they were many hours older. Thirty men with guns
were sent to protect thirty other men searching for rattans in the forest,
and by nine o'clock we possessed over sixty strong canes, besides other
long climbers, and as flEist as we were able to twist them together they were
drawn across by Uledi and his friends. Besides, we sent light cables to be
lashed round the waist of each man, after which we felt trebly assured that
all accidents were guaided againsi Then hailing them I motioned to
Uledi to begin, while ten men seized the cable, one end of which he had
fastened roimd his waist Uledi was seen to lift his hands up to heaven,
and waving his hand to us he leaped into the wild flood, seizing the
bridge cable as he fell into the depths. Soon he rose, hauling himself
hand over hand, the waves brushing his face, and sometimes rising over
his head, until it seemed as if he scarcely would be able to breathe ; but by
jerking his body occasionally upward with a desperate effort, he so managed
to survive the waves and to approach us, where a dozen willing hands
were stretched out to snatch the half-smothered man. Zaidi next followed,
but after the tremendous proofs he had given of his courage and tenacious
hold we did not much fear for his safety, and he also Innded, to be
warmly congratulated tot his double escape from death. Marzouk, the
youngest, was the last, and we held our breaths while the gallant boy was
struggling out of the fierce grasp of death. While yet midway the
pressure of 'water was so great that he lost his hold of two cables, at
which the men screamed in tenor lest he should relax his hold altogether
from despair, but I shouted harshly to him, ' Full away, you fool. Be
a man,' at which with three hauls he approached within reach of our
willing hands, to be embraced and applauded by alL The cheers we gave
were so loud and hearty that the cannibal Wane-Mukwa must have known,
despite the roar of the waters, that we had passed through a great and
thrilling scene."
Digitized
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Jan. 15.
Ktnndaru
A TERRIBLE MARCH. 235
At tlie northern end of Ntunduru Island four is??,
separate branches rushing down from between Chean-
doah and its neighbours unite, and their united waters
tumble into one huge boiling, heaving cauldron,
wherein mounds of water are sometimes lifted upward,
and are hurled down several feet with tremendous
uproar, along an island between Ntunduru and Asama.
The distance is only about a mile and a half, and the
breadth is but 500 yards, but it presents one of the
wildest water scenes conceivable.
To avoid this terrific locality, it was now necessary
to cut a road, nearly three miles in length, to the
quiet creek flowing between Asama Island and the
left bank. Spurs from inland, like *'hogs* backs,"
which projected into that boiling gulf, compelled us to
make detours, which, though they lengthened our toil,
rendered the transport of our vessels overland much
easier. Minute red ants covered every leat of the
shrubby Asclepiadae, and attacked the pioneers so
furiously that their backs were soon blistered, while my
scalp smarted, as though wounded with a steel comb.
A species of burr-bearing and tall spear-grass, which
covered what formerly must have been inhabited
ground, also tormented us. The men, however, on
approaching this ground, armed themselves with heavy
sticks, and marched steadily in line, beat down the
growth before them, thus forming a road 30 feet in
width. By night we were only a few hundred yards
from the creek.
In order to prevent the cannibals of Asama Island
and the Wane-Mukwa from being aware of our purpose,
we returned to our camp opposite Ntunduru Island,
and during the 16th and 17th January were em-
ployed in dragging our canoes to the end of the road,
perfectly screened from observation by the tall wild
grass and shrubs. Though fearfully tired after this
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236 TEBOUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1877. steady strain on our energies, an hour before dawn we
Jan. 18. y^gg^ ^^ j^ arming ourselves with poles, crushed through
the remaining 300 yards of grass by sunrise. .
The people of Asama Island soon roused one another
Mrith most heroic and stunning crashes on their huge
drums, and launched their war-canoes, of which they
had a great number, excellently built; but as our
existence depended upon our dash, twenty men only
were reserved to guard the road, while Frank and
Manwa Sera, with the assistance of every other healthy
man, woman, and child, hauled the canoes to the
landing-place. Though the Asamas made but little
resistance to our embarking, they attacked us as soon
as we began to move with a frenzy which, had it not
been so perilous to our poor hunted selves, I might
have heartily applauded. I had recourse to a little
strategy. Manwa Sera was told to loiter behind with
one-half of the canoes and land his party on the island
above, while I made a bold push at the savages
and landed below. We in the advance at once
charged on the war-canoes, shouting and drumming,
and making up in noise what we lacked in numbers,
and, having descended a mile, suddenly made for the
island at a low landing-place, and while the savages
were confused at this manoeuvre I detached twenty men
and sent them up to meet Manwa Sera and his party,
and in a short time they had captured two villages,
with all the non-combatant inhabitants, besides a large
herd of goats and sheep. When these were brought to
the landing-place where the war-canoes were still
engaged with us, they were shown to the warriors, and
out of sheer surprise hostilities ceased, and the war-
canoes retired to the loft bank of the stream to consider
what they should do. Meantime Katembo was in-
dustrious in making himself understood by the women,
and we made great progress in calming their fears, but
Digitized
byG00gl(
PEACE BT 8TBATAQEM. 237
we did not quite succeed until I opened a Lag of shells, is??,
and distributed a few to each person with appropriate ^^
soothing tones. The Asamas opposite, though still
sullen in their canoes, were not disinterested spectators
of what was transpiring, and they were soon communi-
cating with their relatives and children, asking what
we were doing. While my people were busy sur-
rounding the landing-place with a brushwood fence,
the negotiations for peace and goodwill proceeded. At
noon a canoe with two men cautiously approached us,
and while it was still hesitating to comply with our
request to come alongside, one of my boat-boys dexter-
ously grasped it and brought it near, while the word
"Sennenneh** was loudly repeated. Into this as a
beginning we put six women, three children, and some
goats, and shoved it oflF towards the cannibal warriors,
who could scarcely believe their senses until the canoe
was safe in their hands. Then it seemed as though
their sullenness was conquered, for presently five men
and a chief approached, who likewise, receiving pre-
sents of shells and a few pieces of cloth, entered
zealously into the strangely formed compact of peace,
and sealed it by permitting themselves to be inocu-
lated with the blood of the Wangwana in small incisions
made in their arms. Every captive, every goat, and
fowl was religiously surrendered, while shouts of ap-
plause from both parties rent the air.
It could not be expected, of course, that they should
feel at once like old friends after the fury of the early
morning, but sunset found some dozens of men in our
camp without arms in their hands, responding as well as
they were able to our numerous queries about the geo-
graphy of the country. Our people also traversed the
southern end of the island with perfect confi'dence, and
neither side had cause to regret having become friends.
Human skulls ornamented the village streets of
Digitized
byG00gl(
238 TEBOUQH THE DABK CONTINENT.
1877. the island, while a great many thigh-bones and ribs
^Fm^* and vertebrae lay piled at a garbage corner, bleached
catmrict witnesscs of their hideous carnivorous tastes. Like the
Waregga, the Asama wore caps of lemur, monkey, otter,
goat, red buffalo and antelope skin, with long strips
of fur or the tails dropped behind. Palms, bananas,
cassava, red pepper, maize, and sugar-cane flourished ;
their houses were large, though not so neat as those at
Vinya-Njara. Fish-nets and baskets lay scattered
around in abundance, while great bundles of iron and
wooden spears proved that the Asamas were as warlike
as they were industrious.
The islanders were not ungrateful, for they supplied
US, by order of the chief, with sufficient bananas to
settle our canoes deeply in the water, which proved
that, provided one were well able to defend oneself,
and were his superior in force, even a cannibal could
show that he was possessed of human qualities.
On the 19 th we resumed our voyage, gHding down
the stream that flowed between Asama Island and the
left bank. The river's course had continued a (magnetic)
north-north-easterly course ever since we had left the
confluence of the Leopold with the Livingstone, which
caused serious doubts in my mind for a time as to
whether my boiling-points might not be in error. It
certainly caused me to believe that Livingstone's hypo-
thesis is correct after all, though the great river itself,
by its vast magnitude, breadth, 'and depth, was a
decided protest against such a proposition.
At the foot of tlie Fifth Cataract, which fell at
the south end of Asama Island, the altitude of the
river was about 1630 feet above the ocean — after
Kew corrections — and we were in about south lati-
tude 0° 23' 0", just 270 geographical miles south of
wliere the Nile was known to have an altitude of
1j25 feet above the sea. The river, at a stage
Digitized
byG00gl(
BELOW THE FIFTH OATARACT. 239
where I expected to see it at least incline to tlie west, 1877.
ran due north-nortli-east. ^^^; ^^'
Four soundings were obtained during the forenoon Cataraa.
of the 19th, 33 feet, 40 feet, 47 feet, and 41 feet
respectively, where the left brancli flowed at the
rate of about two knots an hour past Asama.
The left bank rose from the low swampy level *to
beautiful bluffs, 60, 80, and 100 feet high, garnished
with a magnificent forest of tall trees, amid which were
frequently seen the Elais, wild date, and Hyphene
palms.
North of Asama the river widened to the stately
breadth of 2000 yards. On the right were the Wan^-
Mpungu and the Wan^-Kipanga tribes, but I was told
by one of the Asama islanders that they were inland
people of Uregga. I have been struck with the
similarity of some of these names with those given me
by Rumanika of Karagwe. For instance, one of the
native names — Mikonju — of the Leopold River. Might
not the man who gave us the information have intended
it for a tribe called Wakonju — people of Ukonju — who,
according to Rumanika, were cannibals, and occupied
a country west of Muta-Nzig6 ? The " Wan^-Mpungu **
has a remarkable resemblance to Mpundu, described by
the same authority.
In about south latitude 14° we discovered a small river
40 yards wide at the mouth entering the Livingstone
from the left bank, nearly opposite Kyya Kamba Island.
In the afternoon we passed several old settlements,
which were probably abandoned because of the Wa-
kumu, who are the great dread of this section on both
banks. One of these old settlements is called Kyyo
Kaba. Just below, on the right bank, opposite Kan-
jeb^ Islands, is Aruko country, a district of Uregga,
and on the left is Wandeiwa, separated from Kyyo
Kaba by a small sluggish creek 20 yards wide.
Digitized
byG00gl(
240 TEROUQH TEE DARK CONTINENT.
1877. We camped on the night of the 19 th on the right bank
Js^ 19. jj^ V7hat we beh'eved to be a market-place. The green
Mpungu. was inviting, the trees were patriarchal, the forest at
the hour approaching sunset was lonely, and we flat-
tered ourselves that before the next sun was suffi-
ciently high to cause the natives to appear at the
market-place, we should have departed. I also flattered
myself that I was tolerably well acquainted with the
arts of savages, but my astonishment was very great to
find myself but a novice after all. But in the morning
one of my people came to inform me, with a grave
face, that we were netted !
" Netted !" I said. '' What do you mean ? ''
** True, master ; there is a till high net round the
camp from above to below, and the net is made of
cord."
" Ah, if there is a net, there must be men behind
waiting to spear the game." I called Manwa Sera,
and gave him thirty men, ordering him to pull up
river half a mile or so, and after penetrating into
the woods behind our camp, to lie in wait near some
path which led to the market-place on which we were
encamped. After waiting an hour to give the men
time, we blew a loud blast on a horn as a signal, and
sent four men with shields to cut the net, while ten
men with guns, and thirty men with spears, stood
by ready to observe what happened. While the net
was being cut, four or five heavy spears came hurtling
from the buslies. We fired at random into the bushes,
and made a rush forward, and saw several forms run
swiftly away from the vicinity of the camp. Soon I
heard a few of my men utter sharp screams, and saw
them hop away, with blood streaming from their feet,
while they cried, ** Keep away from the path "; ** Get
away from the road."
Upon examining the paths we discovered that each
Digitized by VjOOQIC
OUB CANNIBAL CAPTIVES. 241
bristled with sharp-pointed splinters of the Pennisetum is??,
reed-cane which had pierced the men's feet to the bone. ^^"^ ^^*
However, the ambuscade had been very successful, and Mpungu.
had captured eight of the Wan^-Mpuugu without an
accident or the firing of a shot. The savages were
not unpleasant to look at, though the prejudices of
our people made them declare that they smelled the
flesh of dead men when they caught hold of their
legs and upset them in the road ! Each man's upper
row of teeth was filed, and on their foreheads were
two curved rows of tattoo-marks; the temples were
also punctured.
Katembo questioned them, and they confessed that
they lay in wait for man-meat. They informed us
that the people inland were Waregga, but that the
Wakumu, coming from the eastward, were constantly in
the habit of fighting the Waregga ; that the Waregga
were black, like the Wan^-Mpungu, but that the Bakumu
were light-complexioned, like a light-coloured native
of Zanzibar whom they pointed to. The captives also
declared that their village was an hour's journey from
the camp, that they ate old men and old women, as well
as every stranger captured in the woods. Our three
asses seemed to awe them greatly, and when one of
them was led up to the asses he begged so imploringly
that we would be merciful that we relented. » We
obtained considerable amusement from them; but at
9 A.M. we embarked them in our canoes to show us the
falls, which they said we should meet after four hours'
journey.
We struck across river to the left bank, which was
high and steep. An hour afterwards we saw rounded
hills on both banks approaching each other ; but our
guides said there was no danger at Kabombo, as they
were called. Still hugging the left bank, we presently
came to a curious cavern in a smooth water-worn
VOL. n. — 16
Digitized
byG00gl(
242 TUBOUQE THE DABK CONTINENT.
1877. porphyry rock, which penetrated about a hundred feet
Ka^mbi w^**^- ^* fi^s* I thought it to be the work of
' human hands, but examination of it proved that in
old times there had extended a ledge of this porphyry
rock nearly across river, and that this cavern had
been formed by whirling eddies. At the farther
end there are three modes of exit to the high ground
above. Some natives had scrawled fantastic designs,
squares and cones on the smooth face of the rock,
and, following their example, I printed as high as I
could reach the title of our Expedition and date of
discovery, which will no doubt be religiously preserved
by the natives as a memento of the white man and his
people who escaped being eaten while passing through
their country.
Two miles below we came to some rocky straits
and the ten islets of Kabombo. The current ran
through these at the rate of about five knots an hour, but,
excepting a few eddies, there was nothing to render the
passage difficult. Down to this point the course of the
great river had been north-east, north-north-east, and
east-north-east, but below it sheered to north. On our
right now began the large country of Koruru, and on
our left Yambarri.*
We descended rapidly for two miles down the river,
here about two thousand yards wide, after which the
hoarse murmur of falls was again heard. Our can-
nibal guides warned us not to venture near the left
bank, and, relying on their information, we approached
the Sixth Cataract along the right bank, and camped
not four hundred yards from an island densely inhabited
by a tribe of the Waregga called Wana-Rukura.
We here released our cannibal guides, and sur-
• Colonel Long, of the Egyptian army, on his way to the Nyam-Nyam
country, in 1874, met with a tribe called the Yanbari, in about 5^
north latituda
Digitized
byG00gl(
FIGHTING TEE WANA-RIJKURA. 243
rendered their weapons to them. They availed them- is??.
selves of their liberty by instantly running along the g^^^j^ '
river bank up the river. We were not long left Cataract.
unmolested in our jungle camp, for while we were still
engaged in constructing a stockade, war-cries, horns,
and drums announced the approach of the ever-fierce
aborigines ; and in a short time we were hotly engaged.
In an hour we had driven them away. Following them
CAVEBN, NEAR KABOMBO ISLANDS.
up rapidly a little distance we came to a large village,
where we discovered three or four women well ad-
vanced in years, and, in order to obtain information of
the couijtry and its inhabitants, conveyed them to
camp, where we began to practise such arts of con-
ciliation and kindness as calm and soothe the fears of
excited captives, and which had been so successful
up river.
We had hardly returned to camp before a larger
force — the inhabitants of the islands — appeared in
Digitized
byGoogU
244 THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1877. bead-dresses of parrot-feathers, and skull-caps of civet,
^w ^^' squirrel, goat, and " soko," and with a bold confidence
Rukura. bom of ignoraucc made a rush upon the stockade.
The attack was promptly repelled, and in turn we
attacked, driving the savages back step by step, and
following them to a creek about fifty yards wide, into
which they sprang to swim to their island. Two of
the wounded warriors we caught and conveyed to our
camp, where their wounds were dressed, and other
attentions paid to them, which were much appreciated
by them.
The pioneers were during the afternoon engaged in
cutting a broad road to the creek past the first fall,
and by sunset our canoes and boat were dragged out
of the river into the stockade, ready for transport
overland.
The morning of the 20th was occupied in hauling
our vessels into the creek, which the flying Waregga
islanders had first shown to us, and, by desperate
labour, the whole Expedition, was able to move from
the right bank across the creek to the island.
During the night the Wana-Rukura had abandoned
the large island at its northern end, and thus we were left
happily undisturbed in our occupation of it to obtain a
few hours' deserved rest.
The Sixth Cataract is caused by a broad dyke of
greenish shale, projecting from the base of the tall
blufis on the left bank of the river. Being of many
thin strata, the current has succeeded in quarrying
frequent gaps through it, one of which on the left side,
where the current is greatest, and the scene of raging
waters wildest is very deep and wide. Nearer the right
bank the cataract has more the aspect of furious rapids ;
and a narrow branch has been formed between the
numerous Wana-Bukura islets and the right bank,
which drops over a dozen low terraces from 6 inches
Digitized
byG00gl(
TEE WANA-BUKUBA ISLANDEBS. 245
tc 2 feet, and a series of shallow rapids for a distance I877.
of six miles, when it has reached the level of the main ^^^J
river below the Sixth Cataract. By noon of the 23rd Rukuw,
we had succeeded in clearing this cataract without loss
of life or serious accident.
We were very patient with our captives, and suc-
ceeded in inducing them to be communicative, but
unhappily we understood but little of what they so
volubly imparted to us. But what we did learn was
interesting.
They had heard of Ruanda, and indicated for it an
east-north-east direction ; and also of the Wakombeh, or
Wabembe, cannibals, who occupy the country between
Groma and Uvira, and most certainly a large tract
north-north-west from Tanganika. The Bakumu were
the tribe that had first attacked us, of which the four
middle-aged females from the village of Wati-Kytzya
were representatives. They were much lighter-coloured
than the Wana-Rukura islanders. I feel convinced
that these Bakumu must be a branch of the Wanya-
Ruanda, for they have a great many of those facial
Ethiopic characteristics which elevate that great nation
above the ordinary negroid type. Ukumu is said to
extend very far to the east, and must therefore lie
between Northern and Southern Uregga. The king is
said to be called Sarindi, and his village was pointed
out as being east. The negative " Nangu," which the
women employed, is the same as that used by the
natives of Ruanda, Unyoro, TJsongora, Uzongora, Wan-
yambu, Watusi, and Wakerew^.
"TJbingi" signified rapid river with the Waregga, Ba-
kumu, and Baswa tribes ; and ** Chare-reh " means the
gentle flow of water. The word " Ma-vira " with the
Waregga is used to denote rocks ; while the Bakumu,
Baswa, Southern Waregga, Wabwir^, and Wenya
employ the word *' Matari/*
Digitized
byG00gl(
246 THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1877. - Two miles below the Sixth Cataract of the Stanley
Jan. 23. p^jj^ ^^ ^^^^ ^^ ^ ^.^ ^^ ^^^ Water ; but, after success-
Rukura. fuUj passiug it, we halted an hour on the nght bank
to discharge the captives who belonged to the Wana-
Rukura tribe and the Bakumu. The two wounded
warriors had behaved very patiently during their four
days' stay with us, and were progressing favourably.
Meanwhile we had employed every leisure hour in
endeavouring to master the rudiments of their lan-
guage, and I had obtained a list of nearly two
hundred words from them, with which, if the people
below spoke it, we might be able to communicate a
little with them.
At noon of January 20, we landed on the first
island of the Wana-Rukura, and found the south lati-
tude, by solar observation, 0® 2' 0". Noon of the
23rd, having meanwhile passed the Sixth Cataract,
we found ourselves four miles north of the Equator by
observation.
Three miles below the rapids we passed a small river
about thirty yards wide entering the Livingstone
between high banks, and soon after the right and left
bank, rising up to hills, approached each other within
seven hundred yards, and there seemed to be every
prospect of another cataract. As we rushed through
the straits, I dropped the lead with twenty fathoms of
line into the river, but found no bottom, but I could
not repeat the experiment, as the rapidity of the
current compelled me to be mindful of my course,
and everybody in the canoes was trusting to my
guidance.
At ten miles north of the Equator, below the straits,
we crossed to the left bank, and occupied the village of
Utikera, the sole inhabitant remaining being one veiy
reserved old man. Utikera is situated opposite the
three rocky islands of Mikuna. I suspect this settle-
Digitized
byG00gl(
Utikera.
AFPROACEING TEE 8EVENTE CATARACT. 247
ment was abandoned because of some war that had taken 1877.
place between them and some more powerful tribes down "^ ^*'
river, for according to all appearance the people must
have left several days previously. Indeed the old man
as much as indicated this, though we were not certain
that we understood him. The village was large, and
constructed after the pattern of those up-river already
described.
On the 24th we halted to repair the boat and canoes,
and the next day resumed our journey. The course of
the Livingstone from the Sixth Cataract to the straits
near Utikera had been north-north-west ; it now ran
north-west by west, with a breadth of 2000 yards.
We preferred the right bank again, and soon entered a
deep branch between a long and exceedingly picturesque
island and a low shore, edged with mangrove brush-
wood. When about halfway, we heard the hoarse
rumble of rapids on the left branch, but the right was
undisturbed. The island we discovered to be about
ten miles in length, and soon after passing three small
islands the roar of the seventh and last cataract of the
Stanley Falls burst upon our ears with a tremendous
crash.
It was soon evident that the vicinity of the last fall
was as thickly peopled as any of the Stanley series, lor
the sonorous boom of the great war-drums was soon
heard mustering every stray and loitering fisherman
from the creeks, and every hunter from the woods
that clothed the banks, to the war. While I wondered
at the senseless hate and ferocity which appeared to
animate these primitive aborigines, we were compelled
to adopt speedy measures for defence and security;
for these people, if confident in numbers, do not require
much time to snatch up their spears and shields and
rush to the fight. Accordingly, dropping down as
near to the first line of broken water as prudence would
Digitized
byG00gl(
248 THBOUQH TEE DARK CONTINENT.
1877. permit me, we seized upon a position in the dense
strentb ^^^^*> ^"^* posting the riflemen in a crescent form
Cataract in OUT frout, biisicd ouTselves as usual with axes in
heaping up a high and dense wall of brushwood
for our protection. By the time this had been com-
pleted, the Wenya were on us with a determined
impetuosity that would have been fatal to us had we
been taken unprepared. Again and again they
tried to break through the concealed musketeers, but
they were utterly unable to pierce within view of
our camp. The loud notes of their war-horns, of
which they seemed to possess an unusual number,
rang through the forest with wailing notes, and the
great drums at the numerous villages which com-
manded the narrows through which the great river
precipitated itself, responded with energy to the
signals transmitted to them.
At sunset they abandoned the unavailing as-
sault, and, to guard against any nocturnal surprise,
we piled up more brushwood, and drew the boat
and canoes out of the water on land. I resolved
to make a bold stroke early next morning, and
by appearing in front of their villages before cock-
crow, to occupy some place near the falls which
would enable Frank and a few of the chiefs to
begin transporting the vessels overland, and to con-
tinue the work even though we might be actively
engaged by the Wenya.
At 5 A.M. I led thirty-five men from the camp, and
after a desperate struggle through the tangled jungle
emerged near the place where the right bank swept
round to the straits, over and above which a large
number of villages were situated. A shallow branch,
40 yards wide, supplied by thin streams of water that
poured down a dyke of loose rocks 20 feet high fi-om
the great river, separated the nght bank from the
Digitized
byG00gl(
A DESERTED ISLAND. 249
point occupied by the settlements. During the wet is??,
months it was evident that this dyke must be washed ^ ^f*
by a furious cataract, and that the right branch is then Cataract
almost impassable, and it is for this reason probably
that the locality was chosen by the Wenya, At
this season, however, we crossed over to the inhabited
island without trouble, and resolved to guard the
approach to this branch. From our camp to this
point there was not the slightest danger to fear from
the river, and Dledi and his boat-mates were therefore
signalled to bring the boat and canoes near to the
dyke.
After waiting until 9 a.m. for the islanders to begin
their attack, I sent a few scouts through the brushwood
to ascertain what the Wenya were doing, and within an
hour they returned to say that nothing could be heard
of them. Moving forwards by the path, we discovered
to our good fortune that the people had abandoned the
island apparently. The extent of the villages proved
them to be a populous community, and the manner in
which they were arranged gave them an appearance
resembling a town on the Upper Nile. Each village,
however, was distinct from the next, though only short
distances separated them, and each possessed four or
five streets 30 feet wide, running in parallel lines,
with cross alleys leading from one side of the village
to the other. The entire population of this town or
cluster of villages might be moderately estimated at
6000. On the opposite side was another large com-
munity, whose inhabitants manned every rock to
gaze at us in perfect security, for, since they could
not hurt us, we certainly entertained no designs
against tliem.
The Livingstone from the right bank across the
island to the left bank is about 1300 yards broad,
of which width 40 yards is occupied by the right
Digitized
byG00gl(
250 TEROUOE TEE DARK CONTINENT.
1877. branch, 760 yards by the island of the Wenya,
sl^entt ^^^ yards by the great river. Contracted to this
Cataract, narrow space, between the rocky and perpendicular
blu£Fs of the island and the steep banks opposite,
the uproar, as may be imagined, is very great.
As the calm river, which is 1300 yards wide one
mile above the falls, becomes narrowed, the current
quickens, and rushes with resistless speed for a few
hundred yards, and then falls about 10 feet into a
boiling and tumultuous gulf, wherein are lines of
brown waves 6 feet high leaping with terrific bounds,
and hurling themselves against each other in dreadful
fury.
Until I realized the extent of the volume that was here
precipitated, I could hardly believe that it was indeed
a vast river that was passing before me through this
narrowed channel. I have seen many waterfalls during
my travels in various parts of the world, but here was
a stupendous river flung in full volume over a waterfall
only 600 yards across. The river at the last cataract
of the Stanley Falls does not merely fall : it is preci-
pitated downwards. The Ripon Falls at the Victoria
Lake outlet, compared to this swift descent and furious
on-rush, were languid. The Victoria Nile, as it swept
down the steep declivity of its bed towards Unyoro,
is, as the reader may see by the photographic sketch,
very pretty, picturesque, even a sufficiently exciting
scene; but the Livingstone, with over ten times the
volume of the Victoria Nile, though only occupying
the same breadth of bed, conveys to the sense the
character of irresistible force, and unites great depth
with a tumultuous rush.
A solar observation taken opposite the last of the
Stanley Falls proved the latitude to be north 0° 15' 0'',
or seventeen miles north of the first broken water of
the Sixth Cataract; and a few miles below the falk, on
Digitized
byG00gl(
THE SEVENTH CATARACT, STANLEY FALLS. 251
the 28th January, we obtained north latitude 0° 20' 0". is??.
By boiling-point I ascertained that the declination was ^^^' ^^'
nearly 120 feet in these twenty- two miles, the altitude cataract,
above sea at the Seventh Cataract being 1511 feet.
As there are only seven miles really occupied by the
Sixth and Seventh Cataracts, the intermediate fifteen
miles being calm flowing water, we may not be far
THE SEVENTH CATARACT, STANLEY FALLS.
wrong in giving the slope of the river at the two falls
a declination of 17 feet to the mile.
The rocky point of the left bank was formerly con-
nected with the rocky island of the Wenya by a
ridge, which appears to have fallen southward, judging
from the diagonal strata, but since that period the
river has worn down this obstruction, and the cataract
is now about three hundred yards south-east of the
straits pounding away at the ledge with the whole
of its force.
A glance at the sketch of the Seventh Cataract of
the Stanley Falls shows a line of tall poles planted
Digitized
byGoogU
252
THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1877.
Jan. 26.
Seventh
below the falls, which assist us not only to form
some estimate of the depth of the water, but also
Catowcl of the industry of the Wenya. A space of about
300 yards, in the middle of the falls, is unapproach-
able, but to a distance of 100 yards on each side,
by taking advantage of the rocks, the natives have
been enabled to fix upright heavy poles, 6 inches in
diameter, to each of which they attach enormous fish-
baskets by means of rattan-cane cables. There are
probably sixty or seventy baskets laid in the river
riKE. STANLEY FALLS.
on each side, every day, and though some may be
brought up empty, in general they seem to be toler-
ably successful, for out of half a dozen baskets that
my boatmen brought up next day for examination
twenty-eight large fish were collected, one of which
— a pike — ^was 40 inches long, 24 inches round the
body, and weighed 17 lbs.
Higher up the river we had also been accustomed to
see piles of oyster and mussel-shells along the banks,
especially while passing the lands of the Upper Wenya,
between Rukombeh's landing near Ukusuandthe First
Cataract of the Stanley Falls. These, in some instances,
might be taken as the only remaining traces of departed
generations of Wenya, settled here when, through in-
Digitized
byGoogU
THE FISH OF THE C A TAB ACTS.
253
temecine troubles, they had been ejected from some is??.
more favoured locab'ty. ^^^' ^^'
•^ Seventh
Cataract.
FISH, SEVENTH CATARACl', STANLEY FALLS.
28 inches long ; 16 inches round body ; round snout ; no teeth ;
broad tail ; large scales ; colour, pale brown*
The Wenya of the Seventh Cataract struck me as
being not only more industrious than the aboriginal
FISH, STANLEY FALLS.
Fine scales; weight, 23 lbs. ; thick broad snout ; 26 small teeth
in upper jaw, 23 teeth in lower jaw ; broad tongue ; head, 11
inches long.
Baswas, but also more inventive than any we had
yet seen, for in their villages we discovered square
Digitized
byGoogU
254 THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1877. wooden chests, as large as an ordinary portmanteau,
sl^enth ^^^^^^^ ^^^^^ treasures of beads and berries, large
Cataract, oystcr and mussel-shells, were preserved. The paddles
were beautiful specimens, made out of wood very much
resembling mahogany; a vast quantity of half-inch
cord made out of Hyphene palm and banana-fibre was
also discovered. In almost every house, also, there
were one or more ten-gallon earthenware jars filled
with palm-butter, while
ivory seemed to be a drug,
for we found three large
tusks entirely rotten and
useless, besides numbers of
ivory war-horns, and ivory
pestles for pounding cas-
sava into flour.
After building another
camp above the creek-like
PALM-OIL JAU AND PALM-WmECOOLEE. ^^^^^^ ^^^^ ^^^ '''S^^
bank, we availed our-
selves of some of the numerous piles of poles which
the Wenya had cut for sinking in the river to lay a
roadway over the rocks, from the level of the great
river down to the lower level of the creek, and by
night the boat and canoes were in the water and out
of danger.
The next day, while descending this creek, we were
attacked both from front and rear, and almost the
whole of the afternoon we were occupied in defending
a rude camp we had hastily thrown up, while our non-
combatants lay sheltered by a high bank and our
canoes. Towards sunset the savages retired.
On the morning of the 28th we resumed our labours
with greater energy, and by 10 a.m. we were clear of
the last of the Stanley Falls, thus closing a series
of desperate labours, which had occupied us from the
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byG00gl(
CLEAR OF THE STANLEY FALLS,
255
6th January, a period of twenty-two days, during 1877.
the nights and days of which we had been beset by ^^^' ^^
the perverse cannibals and insensate savages who have Cataract.
made the islands amid the cataracts their fastnesses,
and now —
" Our troubled thoughts to distant prospects leap.
Desirous stiU what flies us to overtake;
For hope is but the dream of those that wake.
But looking back we see the dreadful train
Of woes anew, which, were we to sustain.
We should refuse to tread the path again."
MOUTH OF DBUM.
WOODEN SIGNAL DBUM OF THE WENYA OB WAGENYA AND THE TRIBES
ON THE LIVINGSTONE.
DBUMSTICKS^ KNOBS BEING OF INDIA-BUBBEB.
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byG00gl(
266 TMEOUQH THE DABK CONTINENT.
Jan 28.
BJburnu
CHAPTEE IX.
Again in open water — Frank Pocock feels the position — The Mbnna
or Yaryembi— A running, fight— ''Ya-Mariwa I Ya-Mariwa!"— Our
tactics of capture — Monster spears — Growing weary of fighting for
life — The power of laughter — Fish creeks — A wasp swarm of canoes
—Another invincible armada — A village of ivory — Belies of can-
nibal feasts — The Well6 of Schweinfurth — Hunted to despair —
Their meat escapes the cannibals — Wild nature — Among friendly
natives — The Congo I
1877. We hastened away down river in a hurry, to escape
the noise of the cataracts which, for many days and
nights, had almost stunned us with their deafening
sound.
The Livingstone now deflected to the west-north-
west, between hilly banks—
'* Where highest woods, impenetrable
To star, or sunlight, spread their umbrage broad
And brown as evening."
We are once again afloat upon a magnificent stream,
whose broad and grey-brown waters woo us with its
mystery. We are not a whit dejected after our terrible
experiences ; we find our reward in being alive to look
upon wild nature, and a strange elasticity comes over
us. The boat-boys amuse me by singing their most
animating song, to which every member of our Expe-
dition responds with enthusiasm. The men, women,
and children are roused to maintain that reckless,
exuberant spirit which assisted me to drive through
the cannibal region of the Stanley Falls, for otherwise
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byG00gl(
Mburra.
FRANK POCOCK FEELS THE POSITION. 257
they might lose that dash and vigour on which depends is??,
our success. They are apt, if permitted tliinking-time, •'*'*• ^^•
to brood upon our situation, to become disquieted and
melancholy, to reflect on the fate of those who have
already been lost, and to anticipate a like dolorous
ending to their own lives,
I thought even Frank was half affected by the sudden
cessation of trouble, and the sight of the now broad
tranquil river to which we had been a stranger for some
time ; for after the boat-boys had become hoarse from
chanting, his voice was heard in a doleful and sad
strain, of which the words were as follows : —
** The home land, the foir land,
Befnge for aU distressed,
Whore pain and sin ne'er enter in»
But aU is peace and rest.
•'The home land! I long to meet
Those who have gone before;
The weeping eyes, and weary feet,
Best on that happy shore.
"The home land, the bright land.
My eyes are filled with tears,
Bemembering all the happy baud.
Passed from my sight for years.
•• When wiU it dawn npon my sonl ?
When shall i meet that strand?
By night and day I watch and pr.iy
For thee, dear, blest homo land."
I thought the voice trembled as the strain ended ;
and, lest T should be affected also, by no mesms %
desirable thing, I said cheerily, " Frank, my deal-
fellow, you will make everybody cry with such tunes
as those; they are too lachrymose altogether for our
present state. The men are so weak and excited that
mournfulness will derange their nerves, and make us
all utterly unfit for the work before us. Choose some
heroic tune, whose notes will make us all feel afire,
VOL. II. — 17
Digitized
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Jan. 28.
Mburrs.
258 THROUGH THE DAIiK CONTINENT.
1377. and drive our canoes down stream as though we were
driven by steam."
" All right, sir/' he replied with a bright, cheerful
face, and sang the following! —
"Brightly gleams our banner,
Pointing to the sky,
WaTring wanderers onward
To their home on high.
"Journeying o'er the desert.
Gladly thus we pray,
And with hearts united
Take our heavenward way."
** Ah, Frank, it is not the heavenward way you
mean, is it? I should think you would prefer the
homeward way, for that is the way I pray to be per-
mitted to lead you."
" How do you like this, sir ? " he asked.
"My God, my Father, while I stray.
Far from my home, in life's rough way,
0 teach me from my he^rt to say.
Thy will be done.
"Though dark my path, and sad my lot,
].et me be still and murmur not,
Or breathe the prayer divinely taught.
Thy will be done.
" What though in lonely grief I sig^
For friends beloved no longer nigh !
Submissive would I still reply.
Thy will be done."
** Frank, you are thinking too much of the poor
fellows we have lately lost. It is of no use, my son;
we have taken the bit in our teeth, and must drive on
— drive right through to the sea. The time for regret
and sorrow will come by and by, but just now we are
in the centre of Africa ; savages before you, savages
behind you, savages on either side of you. Onward,
I say ; onward to death, if it is to be. I will not
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byG00gl(
Mburra.
TEE MBURRA'YARYEMBI. 259
listen to regrets now. Sing, my dear Frank, your best is??,
song," ^^"•2«-
He responded by singing : —
"Onward, Christian soldiers.
Marching as to war,
With the cross of Jesus
Going on before!"
This was too much for me. I saw that lie was in
a serious and religious vein of mind, and refrained
therefore from disturbing him further. The boat-boys
now resumed their barbarous but exhilarating chorus,
and again the woods on either side re-echoed with the
stirring notes of our boat-song.
At 3 P.M. we arrived at a fine river, 300 yards wide
at the mouth, which flowed from the east-south-east,
with low wooded banks on either side. After pro-
ceeding a mile, we discovered another branch of the
same river, about 300 yards wide, the two branches
joining at about two miles above. Subsequently we
received two names for it — the Mburra and the Yar-
yembi — but I believe the Mburra is the correct title
for the joint river.
The great stream a mile below the confluence opened
out again into a breadth of 2000 yards, and was soon
disparted by the broad and fertile island of Ukioba
into two branches of equal breadth. We preferred the
right branch, which had a course north-west by north
for about two miles, when it again deflected to west-
northrwest. Much of the right bank showed a hori-
zontal substructure of sandstone, with about 10 feet
of alluvium above it, and ranged from 20 to 100 feet
in height, wooded throughout, except at market-greens
and old settlements.
We prepared to camp at one of these abandoned settle-
ments, but a neighbouring community at Usimbi ad-
vanced to contest our right to reniain on the soil of
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byG00gl(
UsimbL
260 THROUQH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1877.
j«n 29. Koruru, and obliged us to continue our journey. We
then chose the lower end of the Ukioba Island, nearly-
opposite Usimbi ; but the stupid aborigines could not
understand this forbearance, and, manning their canoes,
called on the Wakioba to unite with them in expelling
us. This compelled us to defend ourselves, which ended
in the dispersion of the people of Koruru, and the
capture of one of their war-vessels and five men.
Their canoes differed from those above the Stanley
Falls, being capacious, flat-bottomed scows, dug out of
a fragrant gum-tree (probably of the genus Boswellia),
which gTOWs to very large dimensions in the forests.
On the morning of the 29th we crossed the river, and,
finding Usimbi abandoned, entered it. The arrange-
ment of the villages was the same as with*the Wenya
at the Stanley Falls, possessing lateral and transverse
streets at right angles, and not consisting, as those on
the Upper Livingstone, of one long street. Each house
also possessed a court, neatly surrounded with a fence
of upright logs. Behind, or on the inland side, the
village was protected by two deep ditches, the earth
from the excavations being thrown inwards. In the
middle of what seemed to be a principal street was a
rude wooden figure of a bearded man, under a small
conical-shaped roof, which was supported by nine ivory
tusks, raised upon a platfoim of tamped clay, and care-
fully swept, showing that great care was bestowed
upon it. The people appear to have considerably faith
in a whitewash of cassava meal, with which they had
sprinkled the fences, posts, and lintels of doors, and the
stems of the ficus planted for shade here and there in
small plazas. Great drums, () feet long, 3 feet deep, and
2 feet wide, resting on broad and solid legs, and carved
out of a single log, also stood in the plazas.
We released our captives, and then crying out " Bis-
millah 1 " continued our voyage down river, which had
Digitized
byG00gl(
A RUNNING FIOET.
261
a breadth of 2500 yards below Ukioba Island. Both
banks were high, steep, and wooded. The right bank
showed Ti reddish and rippled sandstone up to a foot
above the water-line for a few miles below Usimbi.
But the substructure afterwards clianged to a greyish
calcareous rock, with a perpendicular face varying frcra
20 to 50 feet high. Numerous creeks, 20 and 25 yards
wide, emptied into the great river from the right Ijank.
At noon, when approaching a large village, we were
again assaulted by the aborigines. We drove them
back, and obtained a peaceful passage past them, until
1 P.M. During this interval I obtained an observation
for latitude, and ascertained we had reached north
latitude 0^ 22' 29".
From 1 P.M. we were engaged with a new tribe,
which possessed very large villages, and maintained a
running fight with us until 4 p.m., when, observing the
large village of Ituka below us, and seveml canoee
cutting across river to head us off, we resolved to make
our stand on the shore. Material for constructing a
boma was soon discovered in the outlying houses of the
village, and by five o'clock we were tolei-ably secure on
the edge of the steep banks —
all obstructions cleared away
on the land side, and a perfect
view of the river front and
shore below us.
The 'Savages were hideously
be-painted for war, one-half of
their bodies being white, the
other ochreous. Their shields
were oblong squares, beauti-
fully made of rattan cane, light,
tough, and to spears and knives
impenetrable. A square slab of ebony wood with a
cleat, and one long thin board placed lengthways, and
SHIELDS OF ITUKA PEOPLE.
1877.
Jan. 29.
Itaka.
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byG00gl(
itoka.
262 THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
187T. another crossways, sufficed to stiffen them. Shout-
Jan.29. ^^^ their war-cries — '*Ya-Mariwa! Ya-Mariwa!'' —
they rushed on our boma fences like a herd of
buffaloes several times, in one of which charges Muftah
Rufiji was killed, a broad spear-blade sharp as a razor
ripping nearly eiglit inches of his abdomen open ;
another man received a wound from a spear, which hid
glanced along his back. As the heavy spears hurtled
through the boma, or flew over it, very many of us
had extremely narrow escapes. Frank, for instance,
avoided one by giving his body a slight jerk on one
side. We, of course, had the advantage, being pro-
tected by doors, roofs of houses, poles, brushwood, and
our great Mwana-Ntaba shields, which had been of
invaluable use to us, and had often in the heat of fights
saved us and made us almost invulnerable.
From the Ruiki river up to this afternoon of the
29th January we had fought twenty-four times, and
out of these struggles we had obtained sixty-five door-
like shields, which upon the commencement of a fight
on the liver at all times had been raised by the women,
children, and non-combatants as bulwarks before the
riflemen, from behind which, cool and confident, the
forty-three guns were of more avail than though there
were 150 riflemen unprotected. The steersmen, like-
wise protected, were enabled to steer their vessels with
the current while we were engaged in these running
fights. Against the spejirs and arrows the shields were
impervious.
At sunset our antagonists retired, leaving us to dress
our wounds and bury our dead, and to prepare for the
morrow by distributing a new store of cartridges, and,
after waiting until 9 a.m. next day unattacked, we
sallied out and embarked once more.
Below Ituka the river was deflected to north-west
by west by a long ridge called Tugarambusa, from
Digitized
byG00gl(
Tangambi.
OUE TACTICS OF CAPTURE. 2C3
300 to 600 feet high, with perpendicular red cliffs for i877.
four miles, until terminated by a point 300 feet high, ^*°' ^^*
the summit of which was crowned with a fine forest.
Beyond the point we were sheltered by a sandstone
bluff, and steep slopes covered by beautiful ferns, and
shrubby trees with blossoms like lilacs, which exhaled
a delightful fragrance. On the lower portions of the
banks, where landslips had occurred, we observed a
reddish sandstone capped by yellow clay.
After six miles of these high banks the river flowed
west by north halt west, while the high banks already
mentioned became a ridge, running north-west, leaving
a lower level at its base extending to the river, which
was highly populous and cultivated.
About ten o'clock of the 30th another conflict began,
in the usual way, by a determined assault on us in canoes.
By charging under cover of our shields we captured
one canoe and eight men, and withdrew to a low grassy
islet opposite Yangambi, a settlement consisting of five
populous villages. We had discovered by this that
nothing cowed the natives so much as a capture, and
as it was the most bloodless mode of settling^ what
might have been a protracted affair, I had a'iopted it.
Through our captives we were enabled to negotiate
for an unmolested passage, though it involved delay
and an expenditure of lung force that was very trying;:
still, as it ended satisfactorily in many ways, it was
preferable to continued fighting. It also increased our
opportunities of knowing who our antagonists were,
and to begin an acquaintance with these long-buried
peoples.
We understood a captive to say that the river here
was called Izangi, that the settlements on the right
bank were in the country of Koruru, and that on the
left bank still extended the country of Yambarri, or
Vambari.
Digitized
byG00gl(
Jan. SO.
YaDgambi.
264 THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1877^ When the natives observed us preparing to halt on the
grassy islet directly opposite their villages, with their
unfortunate friends in our power, they withdrew to
their villages to consult. The distance between our
grassy islet and the right bank was only 500 yards,
and as it was the eastern bank the sun shone direct on
them, enabling nie, with the aid of a field-glass, to
perceive even the diflFerences of feature between one
man and another.
Though hostilities had ceased, the drumming con-
tinued with unabated fury; bass and kettle-drums gave
out a thunderous sound, which must have been heard
to an immense distance. The high ridge, which
was three miles behind Yangambi, exhibited cultivated
slopes and many villages, which discharged their
hundreds to the large council-circle sitting down in
view of us. Many of the aborigines paraded up and
down the banks for our benefit, holding up to our view
bright spear-blades, 6 feet in length and 6 inches
broad ! the sight of which drew curious remarks from
my hard-pressed followers.
One, named Mpwapwa, cried out, " Oh, mother, those
fellows mean to split a man in two with such spears as
those ! " Another said, " No, man, those are the speai-s
from their idol temples^ for mere show ; for were a man
to be carved with sucli a big spear, there would be
nothing left of him." But Baraka, the humourist, opined
they were intended to spit children on. A chorus of
war-cries sometimes broke out from the immense con-
course of people, wherein we could distinguish very
plainly the words " Ya, Mariwa!*'
While all this was at its height, and as we were
unable to comprehend anything that the natives
bawled out to us, we placed our captives in their
canoe, and, giving each a few shells, motioned them
to depart. As the warriors on the bank saw iheir
Digitized
byG00gl(
TaDgambi.
GEO WING WEARY OF FIGHTING. 265
friends return, tliey all gathered round the landing- is??.
place, and, as they landed, asked scores of questions, •'"°'^^-
the replies to which eHcited loud grunts of approval
and wonder. The drumming gradually ceased, the
war-cries were heard no more, the people left their
processions to crowd round their countrymen, and
tlie enormous spear-blades no longer flashed their
brightness on us. We waited about an hour, and,
taking it for granted that after such a signal instance
of magnanimity they would not resume their hostile
demeanour, we quietly embarked, and glided down
river unopposed.
Not desirous of risking another encounter this day,
we sought the shelter of a wooded island opposite an
uninliabited forest, and arranged ourselves in the wild
woods with due regard to safety. Yet we were not
unobserved. Some stray fisherman gave notice to the
populous settlements below, and a furious drumming
at once began from each bank, which was maintained
without intermission until morning.
The river was gradually increasing in breadth; from
3000 yards it grew to 4000 yards wide. Islands also
were more numerous, with dense roofs of green foliage
upheld by the trunks of the tall patriarchs. We were
getting weary of fighting every day. The strain to
which we were exposed had been too long, the in-
cessant, long-lasting enmity shown to us was beginning
to make us feel baited, harassed, and bitter. Dared
we but dash down by night ? Ah, but who could t^ll
us what lay below ! Whom could we ask, when every-
thing in the shape of man raised his spear and screamed
his rage at us as soon as we were observed ?
So we emerged out of the covert and forest shades of
the island with soured and embittered feelings. But
we would cling to the islands, and close our ears
against their infernal noise, and turn our eyes resolutely
Digitized
byG00gl(
266 THBOUGE TEE DARK CONTINENT.
1877. away from the advancing cannibals until tliey came
J«n-3i. ^itj^ijj spear-throw of us, and then, why^ — we will
nght agam.
We did cling to the islands. An enormous breadth
of river — on our right and on our left — separated us
from either bank, but it was totally insnflScient to win
a free passage. We must either sacrifice a few men
or women or children to their lust for human meat, or
we must sacrifice a few cartridges. Fourteen canoes
already lying in wait below Divari Island surprised
us by their ferocious precipitancy, but we preferred
to lose the cartridges, and after delivering over to
them a sufficient number, we crossed the river again,
lest there might be more canoes lying in wait,
and followed the right bank, where we had a short
tussle with a few more Wariwa canoes at Yavunga,
which foitunately for us was the last trouble we ex-
perienced on the 31st. The people of Irend^ and
Uganja on the left bank had behaved as boisterously
as those of Yavunga, and had offended our ears with
bold demands for our flesh, and had even aflfected a
chase ; but the defeated heroes of Yavimga advised
them not to be absurd.
About 10 A.M. we approached, after quite an interval
of peace — two hours ! — another settlement on the right
bank. We sheered off again to the islands. The river
was evidently getting wider, and with its increased
width the banks became lower, and no longer showed
those picturesque hills, tall wooded ridges, brown, red,
or grey bluffs capped with the forest marvels of the
tropics, which had so often elicited our admiration.
Grassy islets alternated with wooded ones, and these
were the haunts of the salt-makers, who extract salt
out of the lye. Opposite a large palisaded village
called Mawembe, which was holding a market even
then, we came to a grassy islet, where were two
Digitized
byG00gl(
TEE POWER OF LAUGHTER. 267
women in a canoe. We ceased paddling at once. Our is??,
blandishments were most efifectual on them. Thev '^*"-^^-
laughed so loud that it appeared as if the market
people at Mawemb^, 1500 yards from us, must have
heard them. Out of real sympathy we too laughed —
but whether they were victims of our blandishments,
or we of theirs, would be difficult to tell. I had heard
of the power of negroes to laugh, but I had never
realized their powers so thoroughly as when these
two women lay back, opened ther mouths, and gave
forth those surprising volumes of laughter that so
perfectly captivated us. They understood the value
of beads, and we tossed ten necklaces to them ; but
all we could understand from them was that the great
palisaded village was Mawembe, and the country
Koruru.
The current finally swept us out of sight of them,
and three miles below we discovered another palisaded
village, for which we could obtain no name. Grassy
islets vomited smoke in dense clouds, but man was such
an obnoxious animal in these regions that we dared not
seek his acquaintance. At noon I obtained an alti-
tude of the sun, and ascertained that we had reached
north latitude 0^ 35' 50".
The right bank here rose again, high and steep,
shadowed with a glorious forest, the islands were
wooded to an intense blackness, and between them
flowed the river in broad bands of silver. The left
bank was so far ofl^ that we obtained no view of it !
In a recess amid palms and vines and patriarchal
trees, boimd together by giant creepers of ficus and
serpent-like lengths of Calamus secundijlorus, we
sheltered our weary souls, and sought to do honour
to the deity of those lonesome woods, who had re-
served this loneliness to protect us in our outlawed
state.
Digitized
byG00gl(
268 TEnOUGE TEE DAItK CONTINENT.
1877. February 1. — The sun came out above the forest,
A^*** -^ round and large and bright, shooting broad gleams of
light into the island shades, and lighting up their
gloom until they seemed most envied retreats. Not
for us, however. Destiny urged us on. Tliere were
no retreats for us. Man refused us, and the forest
rejected us, for it had nothing to support us. ►
Almost straight the river flows — north-west half
west. The right bank, to which we again cling, is
pteep and high, and crowned with solemn woods. At
the water-line is yellow clay ; above it, alluvium and
vegetable mould, on which a hundred varieties of
tropical plants flourish. Presently we are made aware
that we are approaching settlements, by a number of
ditches excavated in the lower banks, at an obtuse
angle to the course of the river, which during the
flooding season will become filled by the full river
and the resort of numerous fish. We had observed
this before. The larger islands and banks, ever since
leaving the Stanley Falls, exhibited proofs of that
love of the natives for fish which has stimulated them
to undertake these laborious excavations, often over
a hundred yards in length, to plait huge basket-
traps and reedy fences at the mouths of creeks, to
manufacture coils of stout rope out of plantain and
palm (Hyphene) fibre, large cord nets, to plant great
poles in the middle of cataracts, and, undeterred by
its dangers, to risk their lives daily in fish-catching.
About 8 P.M. we came in view of a market-place,
near which there were scores of small canoes. The
men at once rushed into them, and advanced all round
us. We refrained a long time, but finally, as they
began to get brave by our quiescence, and to launch
their wooden spears, which they proceeded to do
unanimously as soon as somebody cried out " Mutti "
— sticks — we were obliged to reply to them with a
Digitized
byG00gl(
A WA&F SWABIl OF CANOES. 269
few shots, which compelled them to scamper away I877.
ahead of us. Drums then awakened the whole country, /*^'/*.
and horns blew deafening blasts. Some canoes pertina-
ciously followed us. We came, about 10 a.m., to
another market-green. Here, too, warriors were ready,
and again the little canoes, like wasps, hovered round
us, and again we had recourse to our weapons. The
little canoes with loud threats disappeared quickly
down river: the land warriors rushed away into the
woods. We did not wish to hurry, because the faster
we proceeded the quicker we found we were involved
in trouble. We therefore loitered languidly : rest was
so rare that it became precious when we obtained it.
At noon I observed the sun, and found we were in
north latitude 0® 50' 17''. We resumed our journey,
rowing at a steady though not a fast pace. We had
descended the river for about an hour when we came
again in sight of those waspish little canoes, and from
the left bank, 3000 yards off, canoes were seen
heading across the river at a terrific pace, while horns
blew and drums beat. We heard shouts of defiance,
or threats, we knew not which — we had become in-
different to the incessant noise and continued fury.
In these wild regions our mere presence excited the
most furious passions of hate and murder, just as in
shallow waters a deep vessel stirs up muddy sediments.
It appeared to be a necessity, then why should we regret
it ? Could a man contend with the inevitable ?
At 2 P.M., heralded by savage shouts from the wasp
swarm, which from some cause or other are un-
usually exultant, we emerge out of the shelter of
the deeply wooded banks in presence of a vast
affluent, nearly 2000 yards across at the mouth. As
soon as we have fairly entered its waters, we see a
great concourse of canoes hovering about some islets,
which stud the middle of the stream. The canoe-men,
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270 THROUGH TEE DARK CONTINENT.
1877. standing up, give a loud shout as they discern
^^^'^\ us, and blow their horns louder than ever. We
pull briskly on to gain the right bank, and corae
in view of the right branch of the affluent, when,
looking up stream, we see a sight that sends the blood
tingling through every nerve and fibre of the body,
arouses not only our most lively interest, but also
our most lively apprehensions — a flotilla of gigantic
canoes bearing down upon us, which both in size and
numbers utterly eclipse anything encountered hitherto !
Instead of aiming for the right bank, we form in line,
and keep straight down river, the boat taking position
behind. Yet after a moment's reflection, as I note the
numbers of the savages, and the daring manner of
the pursuit, and the apparent desire of our canoes to
abandon the steady compact line, I give the order to
drop anchor. Four of our canoes affect not to listen,
until I chase them, and threaten them with my guns.
This compelled them to return to the line, which is
formed of eleven double canoes, anchored 10 yards
apart. The boat moves up to the front, and takes
position 50 j'ards above them. The shields are next
lifted by the non-combat*ints, men, women, and children
in the bows, and along the outer lines, as well as astern,
and from behind these the muskets and rifles are aimed.
We have sufficient time to take a view of the mighty
force bearing down on us, and to count the number of
the war-vessels which have been collected from the
Livingstone and its great affluent There are fifty-four
of them ! A monster canoe leads the way, with two
rows of upstanding paddles, forty men on a side, their
bodies bending and swaying in unison as with a
swelling barbarous chorus they drive her down to-
wards us. In the bow, standing on what appears to
be a platfoim, are ten prime young warriors, their
heads gay with feathers of the parrot crimson and
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Aruwimi.
ANOTHER INVINCIBLE ARMADA. 271
grey: at the stern, eight men, with long paddles, is??.
whose tops are decorated with ivory balls, guide the ^*'^' ^'
monster vessel ; and dancing up and down from stem
to stern are ten men, who appear to be chiefs. Ail
the paddles are headed with ivory balls, every head
bears a feather crown, every arm shows gleaming
white ivorv armlets. From the bow of the canoe
streams a thick fringe of the long white fibre of the
Hyphcne palm. The crashing sound of large drums,
a hundred blasts from ivory horns, and a thrilling
chant from two thousand human throats, do not tend
to soothe our nerves or t^o increase our confidence.
However, it is " neck or nothing/* We have no time to
pray, or to take sentimental looks at the savage world,
MONSTER CANOE.
or even to breathe a sad farewell to it. So many
other things have to be done speedily and well.
As the foremost canoe comes rushing down, and its
consorts on either side beating the water into foam,
and raising their jets of water with their sharp prows,
T turn to take a last look at our people^ and say to
them : —
" Boys, be firm as iron ; wait until you see the first
spear, and then take good aim. Don't fire all at once.
Keep aiming until you are sure of your man. Don't
think of running away, for only your guns can save
you."
Frank is with the Ocean on the right flank, and has
a choice crew, and a good bulwark of black wooden
shields. Manwa Sera has the London Town — which he
has taken in charge instead of the Glasgow — on the left
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272 THROUGH THE DARK CONTIVENT.
1877.
Feb. 1. flank, the sides of the canoe bristling with guns, in the
Aruwimi. hands of tolerably steady men.
The monster canoe aims straight for my boat, as
though it would run us down ; but, when within fifty
yards off, swerves aside, and, when nearly opposite, the
warriors above the manned prow let fly their spears,
and on either side there is a noise of rushing bodies.
But every sound is soon lost in the ripping, crackling
musketry. For five minutes we are so absorbed in
firing that we take no note of anything else ; but at
the end of that time we are made aware that the
enemy is reforming about 200 yards above us.
Our blood is up now. It is a murderous world, and
we feel for the first time that we hate the filthy,
vulturous ghouls who inhabit it. We therefore lift
our anchors, and pursue them up-stream along the
right bank, until rounding a point we see their villages.
We make straight for the banks, and continue the
fight in the village streetjs with those who have landed,
hunt them out into the woods, and there only sound
the retreat, having returned the daring cannibuls the
compliment of a visit.
While mustering my people for re- embarkation, one
of the men came forward and said that in the principal
village there was a ** Meskiti," a ** pembe " — a church,
or temple, of ivory — and that ivory was *' as abundant
as fuel.'* In a few moments I stood before the ivory
temple, which was merely a large circular roof sup-
ported by thirty-three tusks of ivory, erected over an
idol 4 feet high, painted with camwood dye, a bright
vermilion, with black eyes and beard and hair. The
figure was very rude, still it was an unmistakable
likeness of a man. The tusks being wanted by the
Wangwana, they received permission to convey them
into the canoes. One hundred other pieces of ivory
were collected, in the shape of log wedges, long ivory
Digitized
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Digitized
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IVOBT A DRUG IN THE MARKET. 273
war-liorns, ivory pestles to pound cassava into meal, 1877.
and herbs for spinach, ivory armlets and balls, and ivory .^^^'/\
mallets to beat the fig-bark into cloth.
The stores of beautifully carved paddles, 10 feet in
length, some of which were iron-pointed, the enormous
six-feet-long spears, which were designed more for
ornament than use, the splendid long knives, like
Persian kummars, and bright iron-mounted sheaths
with broad belts of red buffalo and antelope-hide,
barbed spears, from the light assegai to the heavy
double-handed sword-spear, the tweezers, hammers,
prickers, hole-burners, hairpins, fish-hooks, hammers,
arm and leg-rings of iron and copper, iron beads and
wrist-bands, iron bells, axes, war-hatchets, adzes, hoes,
dibbers, &c., proved the people on the banks of this
8PEAB, ISANGI.
river to be clever, intelligent, and more advanced in
the arts than any hitherto observed since we com-
menced our descent of the Livingstone. The archi-
tecture of their huts, however, was the same, except
the conical structure they had erected over their idol.
Their canoes were much larger than those of the Mwana
Ntaba, above the Stanley Falls, which had crocodiles
and lizards carved on them. Their skull-caps of basket-
work, leopard, civet, and monkey skins, were similar to
those that we had observed in Uregga. Their shields
were like those of tlie Wariwa. There were various
specimens of African wood-carving in great and small
idols, stools of ingenious pattern, double benches, walk-
ing-staffs, spear-staffs, paddles, flutes, grain-mortars,
mallets, drums, clubs, troughs, scoops and canoe-balers,
paddles, porridge spoons, &c. Gourds also exhibited
VOL. II. — 18
Digitized
byG00gl(
274 TEBOUOE TEE DARK CONTINENT.
1877. taste in ornamentation. Their earthenware was very
^^^'}\ superior, their pipes of an unusual pattern — in short,
everything that is of use to a well-found African village
exhibited remarkable intelhgence and prosperity.
Evidences of cannibalism were numerous in the
human and "soko'* skulls that grinned on many poles,
and the bones that were freely scattered in the neigh-
bourhood, near the village garbage heaps and the
river banks, where one might suppose hungry canoe-
men to have enjoyed a cold collation on an ancient
matron's arm. As the most positive and downright
evidence, in my opinion, of this hideous practice, was
the thin forearm of a person that was picked up near
a fire, with certain scorched ribs which might have
been tossed into the fire after being gnawed. It is
true that it is but circumstantial evidence, yet we
accepted them as indubitable proofs. Besides, we had
been taunted with remarks that we would furnish them
with meat supplies — for the words meat and todat/
have but slight dialectic difference in many languages.
We embarked in our canoes at 6 P.M., and descending
the affluent came to the confluence again, and then,
hugging the right bank, appeared before other villages ;
but after our successful resistance to such a confedera-
tion of chiefs and the combined strength of three or
four different tribes, it was not likely that one small
settlement would risk an encounter. We anchored
about 50 yards from the shore. Two old men advanced
to the edge of the steep bank and rattled pebbles,
which were enclosed in basket-work, towards us. We
sat perfectly still for about five minutes regarding
them, and then we endeavoured to open a conversa-
tion with them. We could understand but a few dozen
words, which we had managed to pick up. We under-
stood them, however, to say that the river where we
had just had the fight was called the Aruwimi, that
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THE " WELLE"* OF SCEWEINFUIITE. 275
the right brancli of the great river was called Irondo, nrr,
5Uid the left, Rinda ; that the district between the con- j^l^il^i
fluence of the Aruwimi and the Livingstone was Isangi,
in Koruru. The country on the left bank was still-
Yambarri or Vambari, but ahead, or below Yambarri,
were the Baondo and the Wakunga; on the right
bank, below them, were the Bemberri.
The direction of the Aruwimi was from east-north-
east magnetic, or north-east true. It emptied into the
Livingstone at a point three hundred and forty geo-
graphical miles north of Nyangwe. Though com-
paratively shallow and studded with islands, it is the
most important aflSuent of the Livingstone from the
countries east. I have no hesitation in pronouncing
it to be the Well6 of Schweinfurth. The report that
he received from the natives, that the Welle at a long
distance from the Monbuttu " widened into a boundless
expanse of water,'' and that its general direction was
west or north of west, ought not to receive greater
credence than the report which the natives all along
the Livingstone gave me, that the great river went
" north, ever north." As we follow the Luama from
its source to the great river, and know the utmost
reach north of the Tanganika, and have touched
more than once that central elevated region in whose
bosom are found the Lakes Albert, Muta-Nzige, Alex-
andra, and Tanganika, we may be supposed to have a
rational idea of the eastern and western watershed of
the central regions. If we continue our suppositions,
which are founded upon a long study of the hydro-
graphical system of this region, we may suppose the
Welle to drain the most extreme north-eastern corner
of the Livingstone basin, and, imitating the curve of the
mighty river, to maintain a north-westerly and westerly
direction for a degree, or perhaps two degrees, and
then, skirting closely the watershed that separates
Digitized
byG00gl(
Feb. 1.
Arawimi,
276 TBBOUOn TEE DARK CONTINENT.
1877. the basin of the Livingstone from that of the south-
western Nile, the Benu^, and the Shari basins, to
meet some obstructing hill, and be deflected south-west
into the Livingstone. In tlie same manner as we
suppose the course of the Welle to be, the Luama pro-
ceeds north from Southern Goma to Umene, then west,
through Manyema to the Lualaba. The Urindi is
reported to flow in the same manner, but the best
example of this curious curve which belongs to the
system of the Livingstone is the great river itself,
which maintains a northerly course for over twelve
degrees of latitude, a westerly course across three
degiees of longitude, and a south-westerly or a diagonal
course across ten degrees of longitude. The largest
southern influent of the Livingstone flows 1100 miles
northwards before it turns west and south-west. The
course of the Kwango and the Lumami are other
evidences to prove that this extraordinary curve is a
characteristic of the river system of the Livingstone
and its feeders.
If other evidences were wanting to confirm this
supposition, I might point to the cannibalistic pro-
pensities of the people, their superiority in the domestic
arts of the African, the weapons and shields,* their
idols, their peculiar canoes, the stores of camwood, the
prodigious height and girth of trees, the character of
the vegetation — which resembles what the German tra-
veller has written of the Monbuttu and Welle valley.
At the same time one must not forget that there is
a remarkable similarity between all the west coast
tribes, from Lake Chad to Loan da, which proves, in my
opinion, the non-existence of those Mountains of the
Moon which have been drawn across Africa since
Ptolemy's time. Schweinfurth crossed the water-
shed from the Nile side to the Welle while scarcely
observing the difference of altitude. In the same
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HUNTED TO DESPAin. 277
manner one might travel from Ituru to Unyanyembe
without observing that he had crossed the water-parting
that separates the extreme southern sources of the
Nile from the extreme sources of Lake Tanganika's
principal affluent.
We felt it to be unwise to stay long in the vicinity
of such powerful, well-equipped, and warlike tribes.
We therefore lifted anchor, and began to descend the
stream, but as we turned away the savages lined the
banks, beat their drums, shouted their war-cries, and
performed for our edification the gymnastics of a true
aboriginal fight. It never entered their heads that
they had given us provocation, and had but lately
charged us in mid-river with the fell purpose of de-
stroying every soul, that we had behaved kindly
to them, • or that we had attempted, though in-
eflfectually, to make friends with them. Had their
canoes not fled up river, I verily believe that our
turning away would have been the signal for another
attack on us.
This last of the twenty-eight desperate combats
which we had had with the insensate furies of savage-
land began to inspire us with a suspicion of everything
bearing the least semblance of man, and to infuse
into our hearts something of that feeling which pos-
sibly the hard-pressed stag feels when, after distancing
the hounds many times, and having resorted to many
stratagems to avoid them, wearied and bathed with
perspiration, he hears with terror and trembling the
hideous and startling yells of the ever-pursuing pack.
We also had laboured strenuously through ranks upon
ranks of savages, scattered over a score of flotillas,
had endured persistent attacks night and day while
struggling through them, had resorted to all modes of
defence, and yet at every curve of this fearful river
the yells of the savages broke loud on our ears, the
Digitized
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278 THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
snake-like canoes darted forward impetuously to the
attack, while the drums and horns and shouts raised a
fierce and deafening uproar. We were becoming
exhausted. Yet we were still only on the middle line
of the continent ! We were also being weeded out by
units and twos and threes. There were not thirty in
the entire Expedition that had not received a wound.
To continue this fearful life was not possible. Some day
we should lie down, and offer our throats like lambs to
the cannibal butchers.
It was getting near sunset, and, looking round for a
suitable place to camp for the night, I observed that
the river since the accession of the Aruwimi had spread
to an immense width. Instead of consisting of a right
and a left branch, separated by a single line of islands,
there were now from three to six branches, separated
from each other by series of long islands, densely
clothed with woods, their ends overlapping one an-
other. Common-sense suggested that where there was
such breadth there could be no cataracts. So, when
almost inclined to despair, I pointed out the island
channels to the people, and told them that Allah had
provided means of escape. Near sunset we sheered off
towards the islands, entered a dark channel about
one hundred yards wide, and after an hour drew our
canoes alongside, and, having fastened them, prepared
to bivouac in the island forest.
Next day we clung to the channel; but as the
islands lay sometimes diagonally across the stream, we
finally emerged in view of the Bemberri, too late to
return. Immediately they called up their people to
war, with a terrible racket of drums, and about fifteen
large canoes dashed out to meet us. But after the
Aruwimi flotilla this number was contemptible; we
drove them away, followed them to their villages, and
compelled them to seek shelter in the woods. Then
-**
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THE ""MEAT"* ESCAPES. 279
the word was given that every man should provide him- 1877.
self with hananas and cassava. This was done, and we ^*^' ^'
re-emharked. Before, however, we conld find another
opening amongst the islands, other villages discovered
us, and again a terrific dinning rose, which inspired
even fishing-boys to acts of ferocious valour. These
we permitted to exhibit for our benefit the utmost
rage they were capable of, except actually to throw
their spears. Whenever they threatened to launch
their weapons, a furious demonstration with our long
oars was sufficient to send them skimming away.
They followed us three or four miles, sending out every
now and then wailing notes, which from the frequent
recurrence of the word meat we understood to be
expressions of regret that they were unable to secure
the ** meat *' which was running away from them.
Finally we discovered a channel flowing between a
series of islands, which we gladly entered, and our
young tormentors turned back and left us to pursue our
way alone. From Bemberri the course of the great
river varied from north-west by north half north,
north-north-west, north by west, and north-west. I
missed the latitude on February 2.
The following entries are from my note-book : —
"February 3. — General course of river from morning until noon, north-
Tresi At noon ascertained our latitude to be north of the equator
P 29' 1".
" We endeavoured to do our best to avoid conflict with the savages,
and this required great judgment and constant watching of the channels.
We happily succeeded, though a little after noon it became extremely
doubtful, for it seems that we edged a little too much to the left
bank in our eagerness to avoid all channels that might take us to the
right The Barundu, of whom we heard yesterday, sighted us, as we
pissed a gap between the islands, and instantly manned eighteen large
war-canoes. But as we had obtained a start of them we pulled despe-
rately down river among the islands, leading them a chase of eight miles
or BO, when they returned.
" Livingstone called floating down the Lualaba a foolhardy feat So it
has prov&, indeed, and I pen these lines with half a feeling that they
will never be read by any man; still, as we persist in floating down
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280 THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1877. according to onr destiny, I persist in writing, leaTing events to an all-
F«b. 4. gracious Proyidence. Bay and night we are stunned with the dreadful
Barundu. drumming which announces our arriyal and presence on their waters.
Either bank is equally powerful. To go from the right bank to the left
bank is like jumping from the frying-pan into ihe fire. As we row down
amongst these islands, between the savage countries on either side of us,
it may well be said that we are ' running the gauntlet.'
" February 4. — ^We had a glimpse of numerous villages between the
island gaps, but we pushed rapidly through, and at noon had attained
to north latitude 1^ 45' 40". The general course of the river since noon
yesterday has been north-north-west
** February 5. — At noon to-day we obtained by solar observation north
latitude 1° 61' 17". General course of the river was north-north-west
" Fd)ruary 6.— A little before we sought our camp amid the islands, the
liver for the first time deflected west All this morning its course was
from west half south to west by north. Our observations at noon showed
we had not made quite a mile of northing, for our north latitude was
1® 61' 69". The Livingstone is now from four to seven miles across
from bank to bank. So far as we can see through a glass, the banks are
very low, from 6 to 10 feet high, capped with woods. The islaiids are
also densely wooded.
*' Wo have had in this extraordinary journey by river all the terrors as
well as pleasures of river life. We now glide down narrow streams,
between palmy and spicy islands, whose sweet fragrance and vernal
colour causes us to forget at moments our dangerous life. We have before
us the winding shores of islands crowned with eternal spring-life and
verdure. Teak and cotton wood, the hyphene, borassus, wild date, and
Guinea oil-palms, the tall serpent-like rattan, with its pretty, drooping
feathery leaves ; the bushy and many-rooted mangrove, the towering gum,
the shea-butter tree, the Fxcub Koischyana, the branchy Tamar Jndica,
with an undergrowth of extraordinary variety. Along the banks, espe-
cially wherever there is a quiet nook, thrive dense growths of the
Arundo phragmites grass, whose long, bright green leaves we hear rustle
as we glide by before the breeze blowing up river; here and there
the Papyrus antiquorum, or a specimen of the Edcmone mirabUia, or
EschinomensB. In the calm tepid waters of the little creeks that wind in
mazy curves between low islands a wonderful variety of aquatic plants is
discovered ; various species of Nymph»a, with white or lavender-coloured
flowers, and, woven with their slender stalks, the broad-leafed Yallisneria,
and amongst them, modest and of a pretty green, the rosette-shaped
Fistia stratiotes. In thick hedges bordering either side of the creeks are
vigorous growths of ever-fresh-looking ferns.
"In the undergrowth, where the giant trees are wanting, we find the
amoma flourish best, their clusters of crimson fruit, growing at the base
of the stalk, serving me for a tartish dessert, and their grains, commonly
called "grains of paradise," being sought after by the bhang smokers of
my Expedition to sweeten their breath and increase saliva. The leaves are
always of a fresh green, and give one a true idea of a tropical forest and
moist^ warm climate. Not far off from these is the Phrynium ramosis-
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WILD NATURE. 281
timum, whose broad and long fronds serve to thatch the natiyes* hnts and 1877*
lishers' sheds, or to fold their cassava bread, or for platters and salt- ^®^* ^*
baskets, or for storing the minnows or whitebait for market Yoa may Baranda,
also see here the Strdiiza vagina, or the wild banana, or the Tiolet-
tree, and the oil-berry tree, the black ivory nut-tree, which might
be made a valuable lurticle of commerce; the 8emicarbu» antuardium,
commonly called the marking-ink plant, the Encephasto» AldentUini, the
ginger plant, the dragon's-blood tree, various species of the Yerbenacesd,
such as the Viiex umbrosa, the physic nut-tree (Jatrophe purgan$), which
is frequently associated with Muzimus, especially by Wakerew6 and
Wajiji, and the brilliant bloom of a Loranthus or species of Liliace» in
flower will not fail to be noted as one dreamily gUdos by these unknown
islets, full of treasures to bewitch a botanist, and wherein the enterprising
merchant might find profit
" Some other pleasures we have are in watching a sunny bank, where we
may rest assured the crocodile lies dreaming of fish banquets, and whence
he will rise and plunge with a startling splash ; or in watching the tricks
of some suspicious and watchful behemoth, whose roar has its volume
redoubled as it is reverberated from shore to shore in these eerie wilds.
" Our terrors are numerous. First, the rocks and rapids, the plunging
cataract and whirling pool, which fortunately are past, and which we pray
we shall not have to encounter again. Then the sudden storm, which now
blows each day up river, and, first wrinkling the face of the river, soon raises
heavy brown waves, like those of a lake, which, having already suffered
from, we are careful to avoid; but the greatest danger, an ever-recurring
one, is that which we have to* encounter each time the wild howling
cannibal aborigines observe us. Indeed, the sense of security is short-
lived, our pleasure evanescent; but the sense of danger is always present
and pervades our minds whether in our sleeping or our waking hours.
" February 7. — Obtained no latitude. It has been a tempestuous day.
Great heavy swells rolled up river in our front, and the wind howled
and shrieked so through the dismal glades that we became quite
gloomy. To add to oar troubles, our food is finished; we have no
more, and to attempt to obtain it will cost human life. Empty stomachs
serve to render the prospects in unknown and wild regions still darker. *
We have three asses with us ; but then my people have grown to look at
them as fellow-members of the Expedition. They say they will die first,
but the faithful as^es which have accompanied us so far the people say
shall not be touched. So far so good ; but what are we to do ? Late at
night the chieOs came to me and declared they must have food to-morrow.
I told them they should have it, that from the first village we saw we
should go and demand it
"February 8.— Thank Qodl An anxious day has terminated with
tranquillity to long-disturbed minds. We are camped on a small jungle-
covOTed islet in north latitude 1® 40' 44" by observation, and east longitude
21° 4' by acct. Opposite, at 500 yards' distance, on the left bank, is
the village of Bubunga, in Nganza. On the right bank, at 1700 yards'
distance from us, is the large town of Gunji.
" Our course yesterday was west by south, and to-day westnsouth-west
Digitized
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282 TEEOUOE TEE DARK CONTINENT.
1877. ^® embarked at 7 a.m., and rowed past a very long wooded island, which lay
Feb. 8. on onr left At 8 a.m. we began to observe on the right bank a long hilly
Rubunga, ridge, with cnltivated slopes, and a dense population, which we later
Kganza. learned was called Upoto^-or Mbapoto, as one man called ii I solemnly
addressed my people, and, while telling them to prepare every weapon,
gun, spear, axe, and knife, reminded them that it was an awful thing to
commence hostilities, whether for food or anything else. They groaned
in spirit, and asked me what they shonld do when their bowels yearned
for something to satisfy its cravings; and though there was an abun-
dance of copper, brass, iron, shells, beads, and cloth, nobody would sell
even a small piece of cassava to them, or even look at them without
manifesting a thirst for their blood.
" I had prepared the brightest and most showy wares close by me, and
resolved to be as cunning and patient as a serpent in this intercourse. At
11 A.M. we sighted the village of Bubunga, and, giving instructions to
Frank not to approach nearer to me than a quarter of a mile with the
canoes, we rowed steadily down until within a few hundred yards of it,
when we lay-to on our oars. Presently three canoes advanced to meet
us without the usual savaga demonstrations. Not even a drum was
beaten, a horn blown, or a cry uttered. This was promising. We tried
the words ' Sen-nen-neh ! ' ' Cha-re-reh I * in soft, mild, melodious strains.
They ran away. Things appeared gloomy again. However, patience I
** We had reserved one banana and a piece of cassava. We had our
mouths and our stomachs with us. An appropriate gesture with the
banana to the mouth, and a gentle fondling with a puckered stomach, would,
we thought, be a manner of expressing*extreme want, eloquent enough
to penetrate the armoured body of a crocodile. We came opposite the
Tillage at 30 yards* distance, and dropped our stone anchor, and I stood up
with my ragged old helmet pushed back far, that they might scrutinise
my face, and the lines of suasion be properly seen. With the banana in
one hand, and a gleaming armlet of copper and beads of various colours
in the other, I began the pantomime. I once knew an idiot in Brusa,
Asia Minor, who entreated me for a para in much the same dumb strain
that I implored the assembled hundreds of Bubunga to relax that
sullen sternness, that uncompromising aspect, that savage front, and yield
to the captivating influence of fair and honest barter. I clashed the
copper bracelets together, lovingly handled the bright gold-brown of the
shining armlet, exposed with all my best grace of manner long necklaces
of bright and clean Cyproea nwveta, and allured their attention with beads
of the brightest colours. Nor were the polished folds of yellow brass
wire omitted ; and again the banana was lifted to my open mouth. Then
what suspense, what patience, what a saint-like air of resignation ! Ah,
yes! but I think I may be pardoned for all that degrading panto-
mime. I had a number of hungry, half wild children ; and through a
cannibal world we had ploughed to reach these unsophisticated children
of nature.
" We waited, and at length an old chief came down the high bank to the
lower landing near some rocks. Other elders of the people in head-dresses
of leopard and civet skin joined him soon, and then all sat down* The oLl
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byG00gl(
""IKUTU YA KONGO r 283
chief nodded with his head. We raised our anchor, and with two strokes ^377
of the oars had run our boat ashore, and, snatching a string or two of Feb. 8.
cowries, I sprang on land, followed by iiie coxswain Uledi, and in a ^jkntuya
second I had seized the skinny hand of the old chief, and was pressing it Kongo I
hard for joy. Warm-hearted Uledi, who the moment before was breathing
fnrious hate of all savages, and of the procrastinating old chief in
particular, embraced him with a filial warmth. Young Saywa, and
Murabo, and Shumari, prompt as tinder upon all occasions, grasped the
lesser chiefs' hands, and devoted themselves with smiles and joviid &ank
bearing to conquer the last remnants of savage sullenness, and succeeded
so well that in an incredibly short time the blood-brotherhood ceremony
between the suddenly formed friends was solemnly entered into, a])d the
irrevocable pact of peace and goodwill had been accomplished I
" The old chief pointed with his finger to the face of Frank, which
shone white amongst the dusky bodies of his comrades, and I beckoned
to hiuL The canoes were all to anchor 100 yards oJ shore, but Frank
was required to respond to the chief of Bubunga's wish for friendship.
We distributed presents to each native, and in return we received great
bunches of mellow, ripe, and green bananas, as well as of fish. It was
Agreed between us that we should encamp on this little islet, on which we
find ourselves to-m'ght, with a feeling as though we were approaching
home.
" Before leaving the chief of Bubunga's presence, I asked him the name
of the river, in a mongrel mixture of Ki-swahili, Kinjramwezi, Kijiji, Ki-
regga, and Ei-Kusu. He understood after a while, and replied it was
' Ibari.' But after he had quite comprehended the drift of the question,
he replied in a sonorous voice, 'Jkutu ya Kongo I '
" There had really been no doubt in my mind since we had left the
Stanley Falls that the terrible river would prove eventually to be the
river of Congo-land, but it was very agreeable to be told so.
''Wo have received food sufficient to last us for this day. The native
women require a longer time to muster courage to make the acquaintance
of the strangers, and have postponed their visit until to-morrow. A grand
market for our special benefit is to be held on this island. The drums of
Bubunga will be beaten to-morrow morning, not for war, but to summon
the aborigines to come forward with provisions to selL In the meantime
hunger has been expelled, the gnawing emptiness has been banished, and
our long-harassed minds ore at rest May this happy friendship be the
first of many more 1 *
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284 TUMOUaE THE DARK CONTINENT.
CHAPTER X.
nigh art in tattooing— Suspicious friendliness— Priends or foes? — A
treacherous attack— The fauna of the LiYingstone— Among the
'* Houyhynyms " — The "Yaha-ha-has" — Frank's courage and
narrow escape —Our fight with the Bangala — The mirage on the
river — The great tributary of the LiYingstone — AmoDg friends.
1877. While we rested on the jungle-covered islet opposite
Feb. 9. jj^"buj3ga, we experienced that repose of spirits which
only the happy few who know neither care nor anxiety
can enjoy. For the first time for many weeks we had
slept well. There was no simulation in the cheerful
morning greetings which were passed from one man
to another. That wide-eyed suspicious look and the
swift searching glance of distrust had toned down, and
an unreserved geniality pervaded the camp.
About 9 A.M. the first canoe arrived, and its occupants
received warm and hearty welcome. Soon others
arrived, while the big market-drum continued to hasten
the natives from both banks — from Rubunga and
Urangi on the left, and Gunji and Upoto on the right.
In light, swift, elegant canoes, of the caique pattern,
the people brought fresh and dried fish, snails, oysters,
mussels, dried dog-meat, live dogs and goats, bananas,
plantains, robes of grass cloth, cassava tubers, flour,
and bread of the consistence of sailor s " dufi^,*' spears,
knives, axes, hatchets, bells, iron bracelets and girdles,
in fact everything that is saleable or purchasable on
the shores of the Livingstone. The knives were
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byG00gi(
Feb. 9.
Rubuoga.
EIQH ART IN TATTOOING. 285
Singular specimens of the African smith's art, being i877
principally of a waving sickle-shaped pattern, while the
principal men carried brass-handled weapons, 18 inches
long, double-edged, and rather wide-pointed, with two
blood channels along the centre of the broad blade,
while near the hilt the blade was pierced by two
quarter-circular holes, while the top of the haft was
ornamented with the fur of the otter.
The aborigines dress their hair with an art peculiar
to the Warua and Waguha, which consists in wearing
KNIVES. BUBUKGA.
it in tufts on the back of the head^ and fastening
it with Elegantly shaped iron hairpins — a fashion
which also obtains among many kitchenmaids in
England. Tattooing is carried to excess, every por-
tion of the skin bearing punctured marks, from the
roots of the hair down to the knees. Their breasts are
like hieroglyphic parchment charts, marked with raised
figures, ledges, squares, circles, wavy lines, tuberose
knots, rosettes, and every conceivable design. No
colouring substance had been introduced into these
incisions and punctures; the cuticle had simply been
tortured and irritated by the injection of some irritants
or air. Indeed, some of the glossy tubercles, which
contained air, were as large as hens' eggs. As many
as six thin ledges marked the foreheads from temple
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286 THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1877. to temple, as many ran down each cheek, while from
*'*^' ^* lower eyelid to base of septum curved wavy lines ; the
" "°^ chin showed rosettes, the neck seemed goitrous with
the large vesicular protuberances, while the front parts
of their bodies aflforded broad fields upon which the
native artist had displayed the exuberant fertility of
his genius. To such an extent is this fashion carried
that the people are hideously deformed, many of them
having quite unnatural features and necks.
To add to the atrocious bad taste of these aborigines,
their necklaces consisted of human, gorilla, and croco-
dile teeth, in such quantity in many cases that little or
nothing could be seen of the neck. A few possessed
polished boars* tusks, with the points made to meet
from each side.
Blood-brotherhood was a beastly cannibalistic cere-
mony with these people, yet much sought after, whether
for the satisfaction of their thirst for blood, or that it
involved an interchange of gifts, of which they must
needs reap the most benefit. After an incision was
made in each arm, both brothers bent their heads, and
the aborigine was observed to suck with the greatest
fervour, whether for love of blood or excess of friend-
ship it would be difficult to say. Having discovered
our liberality, they became arrant beggars, and difficult
to satisfy. Copper was despised, but brass wire was
gold — anything became purchasable with it except
canoes.
The most curious objects we discovered at Rubunga
were four ancient Portuguese muskets, at the sight of
which the people of the Expedition raised a glad shout.
These appeared to them certain signs that we had not
lost the road, that the great river did really reach the
sea, and that their master was not deluding them when
he told them that some day they would see the sea.
In reply to our questions as to where they had
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SUSPICIOUS FRIENDLINESS. 287
obtained them, they said from men in canoes from Ban- i877,
karo, Bangaro, Mangara, or, as the word finally settled '^* ^\
down, from Mangala, who came once a year to buy
ivory. These traders were black men, and they had
never heard of white men or of Arabs. One or two of
their people had visited Mangala, and from these great,
travellers I obtained the following list bf places —
which geographers will do well to study — which they
had heard of as being down river.
Iringl.
Mpungn (river entering
Mpakiwano.
from left bank).
Ukataraka.
Mangala.
Maroiga.
Ibeko.
Ikonogo.
Iregweh.
Bubeka.
Batekd.
Imem^.
Ikunim
Ikandawanda.
Irebu.
The nations reported to be below Rubunga were
Bakongo, Mberri, Wakomera, Wyyaka, Baurengeri,
Mangala.
On the morning of the 10th February natives from
down river appeared to escort us, and our friends of
Rubunga also despatched a canoe and five men to in-
troduce us to Urangi. In about two hours we arrived
at the very populous settlement of Urangi, consisting
of several villages almost joining one another. In
order . that there should be no possible chance of a
rupture, we prepared to camp on a very long wooded
island, on a beautiful green thoroughly shaded by
forest patriarchs. Our appearance was the signal
for a great number of the elegant canoes of this
region to approach us. These ranged in length from
15 to 45 feet, and were manned by from one person
to twenty men, according to their size. Beautifully
carved and perfectly shaped, their crews, standing,
and armed with powerful paddles of light wood, pro*
pelled them along at the rate of six knots an hour.
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288 TEROUQH TEE DARK CONTINENT.
1877. They were as different in form and design from tlioso
^t^^ monsters up river as the natives themselves were.
It was very curious to watch this transition from
one tribal peculiarity and custom to another. It
was evident that these tribes never traded with those
above. I doubt whether the people of Urangi and
Eubunga are cannibals, though we obtained proof
sufficient that human life is not a subject of concern
with them, and the necklaces of human teeth which
they wore were by no means assuring — they provoked
morbid* ideas.
We received a noisy and demonstrative welcome.
They pressed on us in great numbers, which, consider-
ing our late eventful life, did not tend to promote that
perfect feeling of security which we had briefly tasted
at Eubunga. Still we bore it good-humouredly. If
geniality, frankness, sociability are the best weapons
with which to treat savage man, we showed ourselves
adepts and practised professors of the art I did not
observe the least shadow of a frown, sulkiness, doubt,
or suspicion on the face of any man, woman, or child
connected with the Expedition. As for Frank and
myself, our behaviour was characterized by an angelic
benignity worthy of canonization. I sat smiling in the
midst of a tattooed group, remarkable for their filed
teeth and ugly gashed bodies, and bearing in their
hands fearfully dangerous-looking naked knives or
swords, with which the crowd might have hacked
me to pieces before I could have even divined their
intentions.
But presently murmurs were heard, and finally the
camp was in an uproar. One man complained of his
mat being stolen, another of his knife, another of his
cloth, another of his store of beads : three or four spears
were next abstracted ; and finally, the thieving culmi-
nated in two guns being stolen. Fortunately, how-
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byG00gl(
FRIENDS OR FOESf
289
ever, the tliieves were apprehended before they had
succeeded in effecting their escape. Then a new order
of things was determined upon. We fell back upon
the old rule of never forgetting that an unsophisticated
savage was not trustworthy, except when your eyes
were on hira. We built a boma, and refused admission
to the camp, but a market was fixed in a special place
without, where, the natives were told, those who pos-
sessed articles for sale would find purchasers. The
chiefs agreed to this, and friendship and fraternity
were apparently as much in demand as bef5re the little
disturbance, since no one had been injured, and the
losses had been borne without reprisals.
At 5 P.M. the great chief of Urangi made his pre-
sence known by sounding his double iron gong. This
gong consisted of two
long iron bell-shaped
instruments, connected
above by an iron
handle, which, when
beaten with a short
stick with a ball of
india-rubber at the end,
produced very agree-
able musical sounds.
He received a kindly
reception, and though he manifested no desire or
declared any intention of reciprocating our gift, he
did not leave our camp dissatisfied with his present.
He loudly proclaimed to the assembly in the river
something to the effect that I was his brother; that
peace and good-will should prevail, and that every-
body should behave, and '* make plenty of trade." But
on his departure his people became roguish and like
wild children. Scores of canoes flitted here and there,
up and down, along the front of the camp, which gave
VOL. n. — 19
DOUBLE IRON BELLS OF URANGI.
1877.
Feb. 10.
Urangi.
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290 TEBOUOn TEE DARK CONTINENT.
1877. Tj^ opportunities of observing that every person was
Feb. 10. tattooed in the most abominable manner; that the
^ coiffeur's art was carried to perfection ; that human
teeth were popular ornaments for the neck ; that their
own teeth were filed ; that brass wire to an astonishing
quantity had been brought to them by the Bangala ;
as they had coils of it upon their arms and legs, and
ruffs of it resting on their shoulders ; that while the
men wore ample loin-coverings of grass cloth, their
women went naked ; that ivory was to be purchased
here to any amount, and that palm-wine had affected
the heads of a great many. We also discovered that
Urangi possessed about a dozen muskets.
From a friend of mine, who paid me much attention,
I ascertained that three hours from Urangi inland
was a large market-town, called Ngomb^, whither the
Barangi frequently went with fish, dried and fresh, to
purchase cassava, bananas, ground-nuts, and palm-oil ;
that palm-trees were as thick as a forest inland ; that
on the right bank below Gunji are three districts,
Umangi, Ukere, and Mpisa ; that the river on the right
side is known as Ukere, while that which rolls by
Urangi is called Iringi.
At sunset our strange friends departed, and paddled
across river to their villages, very amiably disposed, if
one might judge from smiles and pleasant nods of the
head. After 8 p.m. a terrific drumming and some
half a dozen musket-shots were heard from the Urangi
villages. We supposed them to be dancing and enjoy-
ing their palm-wine, the delicious and much-esteemed
malofu. Sometimes we heard, amid a deathly silence,
also the voice of a man, who might be reading a pro*
clamation or delivering a lecture for all we understood.
The voice was clearly audible, but the words wore not.
Finally, about midnight I slept.
An hour before dawn we were alert, preparing our
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byG00gl(
UrangL
A TREACHEE0U8 ATTACK. 291
morning meal, packing up, delivering instructions, and I877.
observing other customs preparatory to starting the ^^^'^^
Expedition anew on the voyage.
A little after sunrise our guides of Urangi, who had
shown us the way from Rubunga, appeared, according
to their promise, to escort us to another tribe below.
For their good nature we gave an earnest of our
liberal purpose. We then embarked.
As we began to move from our camp we observed
scores of canoes approaching us from Urangi, across the
wide branch that separated our island from the villages.
This was so natural that we paid no attention to it, yet
we thought a greater number of men manned them than
on the previous day. But for ten minutes we glided
down smoothly and agreeably. Suddenly I heard a
shot, and a whistling of slugs in the neighbourhood of
the boat. I turned my head, and observed the smoke
of gunpowder drifting away from a native canoe. Yet
we could scarcely realise that our friends had so soon
become enemies, until one of my people cried out,
"Master, one of our men is killed. The people are
firing at us.'* Simultaneously with the shot I observed
our guides had darted away in their canoe, and it
dawned on my mind that the whole was a preconcerted
arrangement.
Anxious for the safety of the Expedition, I permitted
my canoes to float by me, and then formed them in line,
the boat in the rear, and thus we began the fight. The
natives advanced on us in gallant style, and after firing
their heavily charged guns withdrew rapidly again to
re-load, and in the meantime the wooden assegais were
launched with a marvellous dexterity, and the beautiful
canoes skimmed about like flying-fish here and there
with bewildering evolutions and wonderful velocity and
grace. Of course the shields were raised like bulwarks
around our flotilla, and the fire from behind them
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292 THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1877. was deadly ; while though we in the boat were con-
Feb. 11. gpicuous marks, we could not be touched, owing to our
wana! rapidity of fire. But they persistently followed us
until the natives of the district of Mpakiwana heard
the firing, and rushed to the assault, and maintained it
with a pertinacity that made us almost despair. About
noon we discovered a channel leading among the
islands, which we followed, soon becoming involved
once more among the mazy labyrinths of the winding
creeks.
Our course may be ascertained, if I state that a little
above Urangi we were in north latitude 1° 36' 0", and
at noon of the 11th, about twenty miles westward of
Urangi, we obtained north latitude 1^ 41' 0".
The islands are much more numerous below Rubunga,
and are marvels of vegetation, producing greater va-
rieties of the palm species than those above. Though
gigantic trees of the class already mentioned are as
numerous, they are much more shrouded by masses of
palm-vegetation, vines, and creepers, from the observa-
tion of the river voyager. As the banks here rise only
from 5 to 10 feet above the surface of the river, they
are subject to inundation when the river is in flood,
and in many parts there are swampy depressions,
favourable to dense growths of rattan and young
palms. These low islands are haunted by many pests.
As we glided by them during the day, we were
subject to the attacks of vicious gad-flies and the tsets^,
and at night mosquitoes were so abundant that we
obtained but little sleep. The murmur of the vast
multitude of these insects sounded during the night
to our half waked senses like the noise of advancing
savages, and until the wee hours of the morning the
continual flip-flap of branches of the fig-tree, with which
the worried mortals had armed themselves, annoyed
my drowsy ears.
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THE FAUNA OF THE LIVINGSTONE. 293
We obtained just a glimpse of Ukatakura, or, as it is is??.
sometimes called, Ukaturaka, as we hastened from one ^*^-^^-
island channel to another. We were followed by five
or six canoes for a distance of five miles, but we finally
escaped them.
The 12th February was passed without alarm ; the
islands were still increasing in number ; the river was
immensely wide, extending over seven miles. We
obtained once a distant view of a village on the right
bank. Low islands of alluvial sand, which shot forth
rich crops of the Arundo phragmites grass. Papyrus
antiquorum^ and many other varieties of the Cyperaceae,
became more numerous. These were the haunts of
Marabu storks, Balearic cranes, the short-legged Bales-
niceps Rex^ flamingoes, spur-winged geese, flocks of wild
duck, divers, kingfishers, egrets, black as well as white
ibis, and snipe. Any number of birds for meat might
easily have been obtained, were it not that a single shot
would have entailed a combat with musket-armed men.
Our only hope of escape from this region was by avoid-
ing ferocious man.
On one of these islands we saw an elephant, with a
pair of magnificent tusks, but he was as safe from us as
though we had been unarmed ; and on a reedy island
of considerable length we saw a herd of red buffalo,
which are smaller and very different generally from
the black buffalo of the eastern half of the continent.
But though we pined for meat, and were accustomed, in
countries where strangers are not hunted for their
lives, to devote much time to hunting, still we dared
not fire. The lives of many men — our own, and the
natives* — depended on our forbearance.
The higher and more wooded islands swarm with
baboons, the Cynoceplmhis porcarius^ the night-waking
lemur, and diminutive long-tailed monkeys. Once a
beating of the bushes caused me to look quickly up,
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294 THROUGH THE DAEK CONTINENT.
1877. and I had just a glimpse of a large species of monkey
Feb. 12. ^£ ^ bearded kind, standing up ; but the current was
inexorable, and we were at that time rowing rapidly,
so that it was useless to hope to be able to find him.
The channels swarmed with Amphibia — the hippo-
potamus, crocodile, and monitor. Frequently at the
lower end of islands, spits of white gleaming sand were
observed, with two or three bloated and monstrous
crocodiles basking on them, while smaller ones, at a
respectful distance from the sires, imitated their life-
lessness, until the splash of our oars caused them, sires
and young alike, to hurry waddling to their deep
homes.
A remarkable feature of the river was its immunity
from . snags. A few gigantic trees, it is true, were
seen stranded on a gleaming islet of sand, but those
dangerous obstacles of navigation so frequent in Ame-
rican rivers are very rare on the Livingstone. This
may be accounted for, perhaps, by the fact that its bed is
harder and more compact, and contains a less tenacious
alluvium than the river beds of North America. Yet
landslips are frequent, and the banks of islands exhibit
many prostrate forest monarchs ; but by steering a few
feet beyond these our descent was never interrupted by
any obstructing branch or snag.
On the morning of the 13th we passed either the
mouth of a channel 500 yards wide, or a river — the San-
kuru (?) — to our left. We. certainly thought it was a
mere island channel, until we became surprised at its
great length, and still more surprised when, turning
round a bend, we discovered ourselves in the presence
of a large number of villages. It was too late to
return. The great war-drums and horns thundered
through the woods, and startled the wild echoes of
many a forested isle. With an intuitive feeling that
we should again ** catch it,*' and become soon engaged
Digitized
byG00gl(
AMONG TEE *" EOUYEYNYMSr 295
in all the horrors of savage warfare, we prepared with is??,
all the skill in our power to defend ourselves. The ^*'^*^^*
women and children were told to lie down in the """'^'^
bottom of the canoes, and the spearmen to ** stand
by shields" to protect the riflemen. At this time
we possessed only thirty-nine guns — nineteen Sniders
and twenty muskets — besides my own rifles. When
within 300 yards of the first settlement, we sheered
off into mid-river and paddled slowly down in close
line, the boat in the advance, with a vague sense
that there would be no rest for us until we either sank
into the grave or Providence should endow us with
wings to enable us to vanish from this fearful savage
world.
The first war-cries that rang out as the beautiful but
cruel canoes skimmed towards us reminded me of the
" Houyhynyms,'' for, to express correctly the neighing
sounds of the warriors of Marunja, their cry ought to
be spelled " Yaha-ha-ha." But in tone it was marvel-
lously like a neighing chorus of several full-blooded
stallions. Had I not been able to ascertain the names
of these tribes, I should certainly have been justified in
stating that after the " Ooh-hu-hus '* we encountered the
" Bo-bo-bos," and after a dire experience with the fierce
" Bo-bo-bos " we met the terrible ** Yaha-ha-has." Any
traveller who should succeed me would be certain to
remark upon the fidelity of the novel classification.
For my part I must confess to having been charmed
into a dangerous inactivity by the novelty of the human
cries, so much so that, before I was on the alert, there
were three canoes in front of me, and over the gun-
wales I saw nine bright musket barrels aimed at me.
As my position was in the bow of the boat while
leading the Expedition down river, I soon became a
target for a few more, as the swift gliding canoes
were propelled in a crescent form in our front. But,
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byG00gl(
296 TEROUQU THE DARK CONTINENT.
mi. as on several other occasions, I was saved, because my
Feb. 13. ^^j.y j^ppearance startled them. Had I been a black
man I should have long before been slain, but even
in the midst of a battle curiosity stronger than hate
or bloodthirstiness arrested the sinewy arm which
drew the bow, and delayed the flying spear. And
now, while their thin flint hammers were at full cock,
and the fingers pressing the triggers of the deadly
muskets, the savages became absorbed in contemplating
the silent and still form of a kind of being which
to them must have appeared as strange as any unreal
being the traditions of their fathers had attempted to
describe. " White 1 ''
Of course the slightest movement on ray part would
have been instantly followed by my death. Though it
was unpleasant to sit and feel oneself to be a target
for so many guns, yet it was the wisest plan. While I
was the object of curiosity to a large party. Prank
was no less the centre of attraction to a number of men
that hovered on our left flank, and our asses shared
with us the honour of being wonders to the aborigines.
Kalembo attempted to open a conversation with them,
and by surprising them with the question if they were
Marunja we obtained a knowledge as to whom we
were indebted for these unpleasant honours. And I
believe it was to Katembo that we owed the rupture
of the charm of curiosity, for five minutes afterwards,
when we had descended nearly two miles in silence
below their villages, a vicious black aborigine fired and
killed Kehani, one of our finest men. Instinctively the
Wangwana raised their shields, and, rowing up swiftly
to meet them, to defend the people like a hen her
chickens, the boat opened its battery of small-arms to
avenge the death of Rehani, and in thirty minutes
the seventy musket-armed canoes of the Marunja were
retreating to a more respectful distance. After follow-
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TUB ""TAEA-nA-nASr 297
ing us for five miles, they abandoned tbe pursuit, and is??,
we happily saw no more of them. ^•**- ^f-
At noon we obtained an observation, nortb lati- *'^°°'^*
tude 1^ 28' 0", while at noon of the 12th we were
in north latitude 1^ 36' 0". Our course among the
islands had ranged from west half north to west-south-
west.
After we had escaped the Marunja, we crept from
channel to channel and creek to creek, which wound
in and out between island groves, until night, when we
encamped, to undergo the usual nightly tortures of the
light-coloured mosquitoes of the Livingstone.
We had discovered on several islands, since leaving
Urangi, small camps, consisting of, perhaps, a dozen
small grass huts or sheds, which had, no doubt, been
the temporary shelter erected by some trading tribe
below, and, as we heard from the aborigines of
Rubunga the power of the Mangala highly extolled,
we came to the conclusion that, upon arriving in the
Bangala*s country, we should be freed from all strife
and danger.
During the forenoon of the 14th February, while
anxiously looking out lest we should be taken by some
erratic channels in view of other villages, we arrived
at the end of an island, which, after some hesitation,
we followed along the right. Two islands were to the
right of us, and prevented us from observing the
mainland. But after descending two miles we came in
full view of a small settlement on the right bank. Too
late to return, we crept along down river, hugging the
island as closely as possible, in order to arrive at
a channel before the natives should sight us. But,
alas ! even in the midst of our prayers for deliverance,
sharp, quick taps on a native kettledrum sent our
blood bounding to the heart, and we listened in agony
for the response. Presently one drum after another
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Bangala.
298 TEItOUQH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1877. sounded the alarm, until the Titanic drums of war
Feb. 14. ^i^^ndered the call to arms.
In very despair, I sprang to my feet, and, addressing
my distressed and long-suffering followers, said, ** It is
of no use, my friends, to hope to escape these bloody
pagans. Those drums mean war. Yet it is very
possible these are the Bangala, in which case, being
traders, they will have heard of the men by the sea,
and a little present may satisfy the chiefs. Now,
while I take the sun you prepare your guns, your
powder, and bullets, see that every shield is ready to
lift at once, as soon as you see or hear one gun-shot
It is only in that way I can save you, for every pagan
now, from here to the sea, is armed with a gun, and
they are black like you, and they have a hundred guns
to your one. If we must die, we will die with guns
in our hands like men. While I am speaking, and
trying to make friendship with them, let no one speak
or move."
We drew ashore at the little island, opposite the
highest village, and at noon I obtained by observation
north latitude 1^ V 0''. Meanwhile savage madness
was being heated by the thunder of drums, canoes
were mustering, guns were being loaded, spears and
broadswords were being sharpened, all against us,
merely because we were strangers, and afloat on their
waters. Yet we had the will and the means to pur-
chase amity. We were ready to submit to any tax,
imposition, or insolent demand for the privilege of a
peaceful passage. Except life, or one drop of our blood,
we would sacrifice anything.
Slowly and silently we withdrew from the shelter
of the island and began the descent of the stream.
The boat took position in front, Frank's canoe, the
OceaUj on the right, Manwa Sera's, London Town, to
the left. Beyond Manwa Sera's canoe was the unin-
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Bangola.
FBANK^S COURAGE AND NAEROW ESCAPE. 299
habited island, the great length of which had ensnared 1877.
lis, and hedged us in to the conflict. From our ^*^'Jj^*
right the enemy would appear with muskets and spears,
and an unquenchable ferocity, imless we could mollify
him.
We had left Observation Island about half a mile
behind us when the prows of many canoes were seen
to emerge out of the creek. I stood up and edged
towards them, holding a long piece of red cloth in one
hand, and a coil of brass wire in another. We rested
on our oars, and the men quietly placed their paddles in
their canoes, and sat up, watchful, but ready for con-
tingencies. As we floated down, numbers of canoes
advanced.
I hailed the natives, who were the most brilliantly
decorated of any yet seen. At a distance they all
appeared to wear something like English University
caps, though of a white colour. There was a great
deal of glitter and flash of metal, shining brass, copper,
and bright steel among them.
The natives returned no answer to my hail ; still 1
persisted, with the same artfulness of manner that had
been so successful at Rubunga. I observed three or
four canoes approaching Frank's vessel with a most
suspicious air about them, and several of their canoes
menacing him, at which Frank stood up and menaced
them with his weapon. I thought the act premature,
and ordered him to sit down and to look away from
them. I again raised the crimson cloth and wire, and
by pantomime oflered to give it to those in front, whom
I was previously addressing; but almost immediately
those natives who had threatened Frank fired into my
boat, wounding three of my young crew — Mambu,
Murabo, and Jaffari — and two more natives fired into
Frank's canoe, wounding two — Hatib and Muftah.
The missiles fired into us were jagged pieces of iron
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330 THBOUOn THE DABK CONTINENT.
1877. and copper ore precisely similar to those which the
Feb. 14. ^g}3aQtees employed. After this murderous outrage
** there was no effort made to secure peace. The shields
were lifted, and proved capital defences against the
hail of slugs. Boat, shields, and canoes were pitted,
but only a few shields were perforated.
The conflict began in earnest, and lasted so long
that ammunition had to be redistributed. We perceived
that, as the conflict continued, every village sent out its
quota. About two o'clock a canoe advanced with a swag-
gering air, its crew evidently intoxicated, and fired at
us when within thirty yards. The boat instantly swept
down to it and captured it, but the crew sprang into the
river, and, being capital swimmers,were saved by a timely
arrival of their friends. At three o'clock I counted
sixty-three opposed to us. Some of the Bangala — which
they disclosed themselves by their peculiar cries, " Yaha-
ha-ha, Ya Bangala!" ** Ya Bangala! Yaha-ha-ha!"
—distinguished themselves by an audacity and courage
that, for our own sakes, I was glad to see was not
general. Especially one young chief, distinguished by
his head-dress of white goat-skin, and a short mantle of
the same material, and wreaths of thick brass wire on
neck, arms, and legs, suflBcient, indeed, to have protected
those parts from slugs, and proving him to be a man of
consequence. His canoe mates were ten in number;
and his steersman, by his adroitness and dexterity,
managed the canoe so well that after he and his mates
had fired their guns, he instantly presented its prow
and only a thin line of upright figures to our aim.
Each time he dashed up to deliver his fire all the canoes
of his countrymen seemed stimulated by his example
to emulate him. And, allowing five guns on an average
to each of tlie sixty-three canoes, there were 315
muskets opposed to our forty-four. Their mistake was
in supposing their slugs to have the same penetrative
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. i
r ■ i
;< ifaaivjt^ ,
.•:/ "^
f I
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r
^ J. \'; r t ». , * i-. •\ ^s OMtr;.;^X'
\ I Ki ;; t- > .- .-. T .' .. '[lie s^hi^'] is
"' (. >!:. -.;^, nin' ,..''. • '.vcro pi'^o'l,
. . .1 '■:< \\^ '*; l)«J^ Ir.r't; 1.
I ">' u-ui ;.i o: ■•;i Nt. • >i !a^^e<l bo I''>Ti;:r
'111 '1 \')\" )\ ■.-!: I ■■■n. T\\^ J erc'v'vc'l
■ .• :' -t (. '' :i'.\i.m:, ;\t.i-^/ vij!:i,ii'e ^<'!it unt it^-?
\; twoo'-'' ''*v i) ".''" I' :i".ivar^*'d n'i*li a swag-
. . , ;» ci' ..' . ^ :'^ ' :'/ iit xicjitu^], ; n i fm,-! \\t
\/l.,"!i t.j.!';- V i' :■ . n t^ ■).'ut ii:;.: iiidy -^vrnt
► '^ ;in J 0 I'ti" -t ', • .t i' '• crow ^praii^'^ ii/ ^ tlic
' . "., 'j -ii'^ir -ij^ti'i.x .1 'I'l ' -,\ven^, ^;avod^)y ii Kiiirly
^.-i I'd' {li«/'r Ua:'.^. *\ t ti.r'"j o'rloO'' I (■0!:i.ta(l
!n: •*o (']-pi*.^'. -i *i"* i-^% "" •'>•('! tl.o P>a!ii:;aai— \\ ii^'h
r - ili-:i"--rd ill. '.1, •■!','<-' '• ■". ') : Milirrr-ios, " Y;.j,a-
: i-ia, Ya ]5a!,- ia '" * \ ' . a^i ! Yal a-l-a-ha. ! "
- W lu^^r- i-la-'i '!< . ' "' a. ; " ^-ity juid coi:r;i;je
(; '5 i r oi^r ■>':! ^• , J V. ^ * I fo SCO was not
L'*'''-S':i!. K-j -ci;.^" * ■ ' ynii I . ...^f. d' :i])'^!iislu (I ly^
I'ls lioad die s ot" '.' " J iT^'aN^ ■ ., aia' ■. .a-rt nui'itle of
TmC same iiiafor' .-.lai \v r« a ^ <*
c
Ki \s V ire on
i;e iv, ;;.••'.-, and .» u.-, ^'^^;c^J^i, i; ' '., tt> laivc proie'dOil
tIj '-C j-aiab I'l n: .-li r>, inid 1 ' ■ .. j; liiiu to bo a n.an of
i( n-( (Jul ,vji\ H;^ i^aavt'j ^ :, wct ; tori in ]ir:^i^' ;
'\ \v< t>t'*orsaiaTi, l'\ 1 adi-'*:.-^ and d* * ritv,
' " :^ 1 t^ai ra,j;')'; i-i .c\\ t-i .t a.ici'liO a:' '..:s mjN'S
i >i til ;iv ^'j: . ho i;-. i itly |»r .d its; j-iow
V a tain jro of ;,:)^->u'} { • a to onr a.^u.
. I Le J I \u'<\ \iu to «;* 1:^ liio all l.a^ rano-s
V "ai nicn Ff anifd • .ailit:! by lii^exaniido
'\ x\nd, adow 'u',', f[ s 'J ^•!i:ls on an av. ra^* ■!
. 1*10 si\t\-tar''e <^hh)(>. tli<*ia^ wrro 31">
■ 1 ■- 'd t<- t-).ir f >rtyd()ur. Tikir mi-!ako \va<
• . '' "T sla^^■?5 to luive {] e taii-c }> a a^ra^ivo
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Digitized by VjOOQIC
Bangala
OUE FIQET WITH THE BANQALA. SOI
effect and long range as our missiles hud. Only a few is:?,
of the boldest approached, after they had experienced ^^^' ^*'
our fire, within a hundred yards. The young chief
already mentioned frequently charged to within fifty
yards, and delivered a smashing charge of missiles,
almost all of which were either too low or too high.
Finally Manwa Sera wounded him with a Snider bullet
in the thigh. The brave fellow coolly, and in presence
of us all, took a piece of cloth and deliberately ban-
daged it, and then calmly retreated towards shore.
The action was so noble and graceful that orders were
given to let him withdraw unmolested. After his
departure the firing became desultory, and at 5.30 p.m.
our antagonists retired, leaving us to attend to our
wounded, and to give three hearty cheers at our
success. This was our thirty-first fight on the terrible
river — the last but one — and certainly the most de-
termined conflict that we had endured.
My gossipy friend at Urangi had stated to me that
the Bangala, when they visited his country, were in the
habit of carrying things with a high hand, that they
frequently indulged in shooting in the most indiscri-
minate manner at everything if angered, that they
were very "hot.*' But I never expected they would
have indulged their " hot-headedness " at the expense
of people who might be called relations of those who
had supplied them with guns and powder. It is evident,
however, to me that, enterprising as the Bangala are,
they have never ascended the Livingstone higher than
Upoto, otherwise they must certainly have been com-
pelled to measure their strength against the cannibals
of the Aruwirai.
The Bangala may be said to be the Ashantees of
the Livingstone River, though their country has com-
paratively but a small populated river front. Their
villages cover at intervals — of a mile or half a mik
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302 THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1877. a line of ten miles. They trade with Ikengo and Irebu
bI** ^u. ^^^^ *^® river all the ivory they have purchased from
°'* Upoto, Gun ji, Mpisa, Ukere, Rubunga, TJrangi, Mpaki-
wana, and Marunja. I observed soon after the fight
began that many canoes emerged out of a river coming
from a northerly direction. For a long period the
river of Bangala has appeared on West African maps
as the Bancaro river. The word Bangala, which may
be pronounced Bangara, Bankara, or Bankaro, signifies
the people of Mangala or Mangara, Mankara or
Mankaro. I have simply adopted the more popular
term.
Unquestionably the Bangala are a very superior
tribe. I regret very much the singular antipathy
. they entertain towards strangers, which no doubt they
will continue to show until, like the Ashantees, they
have been taught by two or three sharp fights to lessen
their pretensions to make targets of aborigines and
strangers. While the Bangala are permitted to pass
Ikengo to Irebu, the people of Ikengo and Irebu are
not privileged to ascend the river beyond Bangala.
We continued our journey on this eventful day until
an hour after sunset, when we proceeded to establish a
camp at the head of a narrow tortuous channel, which
lost itself amid the clusters of small islets.
On the 15th, at noon, we reached north latitude
0^ 58' 0". The strong winds which at this season
blow daily up river impeded our journey greatly. They
generally began at 8 a.m., and lasted until 3 p.m. When
narrow channels were open to us we were enabled to
proceed without interruption, but when exposed to
l3road open streams the waves rose as high as 2 feet,
and were a source of considerable danger. Indeed, from
the regularity and increased force of the winds, I half
suspected at the time that the Livingstone emptied into
some vast lake such as the Victoria Nyanza. The mean
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TEE MIRAGE ON TEE RIVER. 303
temperature in the shade seldom exceeded 74° Fahr., istt.
and the climnte, though not dry, was far more agree- ^*^'}\
able than the clammy humidity characteristic of the n. ut.'
east coast. The difiference between the heat in this
elevated region and that of the east coast was such
that, while it was dangerous to travel in the sun without
a sun-umbrella near the sea on the east coast, a light
double-cotton cloth cap saved me from feeling any
inconvenience when standing up in the boat under
a bright glaring sun and cloudless sky. While sitting
down in the boat, a few minutes was sufficient to con-
vince me it was dangerous without an umbrella, even
here. While at work at the Stanley Falls the umbrella
was not used. The nights were uncomfortable without
a blanket, and sometimes even two were desirable.
The winds which prevail at this season of the year
are from the south-west, or south, which means from
the temperate latitude of the South Atlantic, and
slightly chilled in their passage over the western
ranges. In the early morning the thermometer was
often as low as 64°. From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. it ranged
from 75° to 85° Fahr. in the shade ; from 4 p.m. to sun-
set it ranged from 72° to 80°. From the 12th January
imtil the 5th March we experienced no rain.
One remarkable fact connected with our life in this
region is, that though we endured more anxiety of mind
and more strain on the body, were subject to constant
peril, and fared harder (being compelled for weeks to
subsist on green bananas, cassava, and sugarless tea,
and those frequently in scanty quantities), we — Frank
and I — enjoyed better health on the Livingstone than
at any other period of the journey ; but whether this
unusual health might not be attributed to having
become more acclimatized is a question.
The mirage on the Livingstone was often ludicrously
deceptive, playing on our fears at a most trying period,
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304 TEROUQU TEE BARK CONTINENT.
1877. in a manner which phinged us from a temporary enjoy-
Feb. 17. jjjgjj^ Qf Q^j. itnnimiity from attack into a state of sus-
0 18 41
N. Lat. ' picion and alarm, which probably, in nine cases out of
ten, arose out of the exaggerated proportions given
to a flock of pelicans or wild geese which to our
nerves, then in a high state of tension, appeared to be
a very host of tall warriors. A young crocodile
basking on a sandy spit appeared to ho as large as a
canoe, and an ancient and bleached tree a ship.
At noon of the 17th we had reached north latitude
0^18' 41", our course during the 16th and 17th having
been south-west, but a little before sunset the immense
river was gradually deflecting to south.
Since the 10th we had been unable to purchase food.
The natives had appeared to be so unapproachable, that
again the questions naturally arose in each mind,
" Where shall we obtain food ? ** " What shall wo
do ? " '' What will be the end of all this ? '' " Whither,
oh whither are we going ? " My poor people had been
elevated to a high pitch of exultation when they had
first seen the four muskets at Rubunga. They regarded
them as the beginning of the end. But now ? " Ah,
whither are we going on this cruel, cruel river ?"
Yet they bore the dire period with Spartan stoicism.
They were convinced that, had it been in my power,
they should never have suffered from scarcity. They
had become trained to rely on my judgment and dis-
cretion, and with a child-like faith they trusted me.
Knowing this but too well, my anxiety to show myself
worthy of their love and duty was increased. I might
delay procuring food for their safety, but human beings
cannot live on air. But where should I get it when
the mere sight of us put the natives into a rage for
murder ? How was food to be obtained if the sound
of our voices was followed instantly with deadly
missiles ?
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THE GREAT TRIBUTARY OF THE LIVINGSTONE. 305
I quote the following from my note-book : — i877.
" February 18, 1877.— For three days we haye been permitted, through Ikengo.
the mercy of God, to descend this great river nnintemipted by savage
clamour or ferocity. Winds during two days seriously impeded us, and
were a cause for anxiety, but yesterday was fine and calm, and the river
like a sheet of burnished glass ; we therefore made good progress. In
the afternoon we encountered a native trading expedition from Ikengo
in three canoes, one of which was manned by fifteen paddlers, clothed in
robes of crimson blanket cloth. We hailed them, but they refused to
answer us. This sight makes me believe the river must be pretty free
of cataracts, and it may be that there are no more than the Sundi cataract,
and the Falls of Tellalla reported by Tuckey in 1816, otherwise I cannot
account for the ascent of three trading vessels, and such extensive pos-
session of cloths and guns, so far up the river.
" Since the 10th February we have been unable to purchase food, or
indeed approach a settlement for any amicable purpose. The aborigines
have been so hostile, that even fishing-canoes have fired at us as though
we were harmless game. Gkni alone knows how we shall prosper below.
But let come what may, I have purposed to attempt communicating
with the natives to-morrow. A violent death will be preferable to death
by starvation.
"• At 7 A.M. we were on the Equator again, and at noon I obtained an
observation which showed we were 0° 17' 59" south latitude, as our course
has been nearly straight south since yesterday 5 p.m.
" February 19, 1877. — ^This morning we regarded each' other as fated
victims of protracted fEunine, or the rage of savages, like those of Mangala.
But as we feared fEunine most, we resolved to con&ont the natives
again. At 10 A.M., while we were descending the Livingstone along the
left bank, we discovered an enormous river, considerably over a thousand
yards wide, with a strong current, and deep, of the colour of black tea.
This is the largest infiuent yet discovered, and after joining the Living-
stone it appeared to conmiand the left half to itself— it strangely refuses to
amalgamate with the Livingstone, and the divisional line between them
is plainly marked by a zigzag ripple, as though the two great streams
contended with one another for the mastery. Even the Aruwimi and the
Lowwa united would not greatly exceed this giant influent. Its strong
current and black water contrast very strongly with the whitey-brown
Livingstone. On the upper side of the confluence is situate Ibonga, but
the natives, though not openly hostile, replied to us with the peculiar
war-crie3 * Yaha-ha-ha !'
" We continued our journey, though grievously hungry, past Bwena
and Inguba, doing our utmost to induce the staring fishermen to com-
municate with us, without any success. They became at once officiously
busy with guns, and dangerously active. We arrived at Ikengo, and as
we were almost despairing, we proceeded to a small island opposite this
settlement and prepared to encamp. Soon a canoe with seven men came
dashing across, and we prepared our moneys for exhibition. They
unhesitatingly advanced, and ran their canoe alongside us. We were
VOL. n. — 20
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306 THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1877. rapturously joyfal, and returned them a most cordial welcome, as the act
Feb. 19, was a most auspicious sign of confidence. We were liberal, and the
Ikengo. natiyes fearlessly accepted our presents, and from this giving of gifts we
proceeded to seal this incipient friendphip with our blood with all due
ceremony.
"After an hour's stay with us they returned to communicate with
their countrymen, leaving one young fellow with us, which was another
act of grace. Soon from a Tillage below Ikengo two more canoes came up
with two chiefe, who were extremely insolent and provoking, though after
nearly two and a half years' experience of African manners we were not
to be put out of temper because two drunken savages chose to be
overbearing.
" It is strange, if we^ consider of what small things pride is bom.
The European is proud of his pale colour, and almost all native Africans
appear to be proud because they are black. Pride arises most naturally
from a full stomach. Esau, while hungry, forgot his birthright and
heritage, because of weakened vitals. I forgot mine because my stomach
had collapsed through emptiness. The arrogance of the two chiefs of
Ikengo was nourished by a sense of fulness. I presume, were the contents
of their stomachs analysed, we should find them consist of xmdigested
manioc, banana, with a copious quantity of fluid. What virtues lie in
these that they should be proud ? Their bodies were shrouded with a
grass cloth, greasy and black from wear. Their weapons were flintlocks
loaded with three inches of powder and three of slugs. Yet they were
insufferably rude I
" By-and-by they cooled down. We got them to sit and talk, and we
laughed together, and were apparently the best of friends. Of all the
things which struck their fancy, my note-book, which they called ' tara-
tara,' or looking-glass, appeared to them to be the most wonderful. They
believed it possessed manifold virtues, and that it came from above.
Would I, could 1, sell it to them ? It would have found a ready sale.
But as it contained records of disaster by flood and fire, charts of rivers
and creeks and islands, sketches of men and manners, notes upon a
thousand objects, I could not part with it even for a tusk of ivory.
" They got angry and sulky again. It was like playing with and
coaxing spoiled children. We amused them in various ways, and they
finally became composed, and were conquered by good-nature. With a
generous scorn of return gifts, they presented me with a gourdful of
palm-wine. But I begged so earnestly for food that they sent their canoes
back, and, while tbey sat down by my side, it devolved upon me until
their return to fascinate and charm them with benignant gestures and
broken talk. About 3 p.m. provisions came in basketfuls of cassava
tubers, bananas, and long plantains, and the two chiefs made me rich by
their liberality, while the people began also to thaw from that stupor into
which impending famibe had plunged them. At sunset our two friends,
with whom I had lal)oured with a zealot's enthusiasm, retired, each
leaving a spear as a pledge with me that they would return to-morrow,
and renew our friendly intercourse, with canoe-loads of provisions.
*' February 20, 1877. — My two friends, drunk no longer, brought most
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AMONG FRIENDS.
307
liberal supplies \nth them of cassaya tubers, cassava loayes, flour, maize,
plantains, and bananas, and two small goats, besides two large gourdfols
of palm-wine, and, what was better, they had induced their countrymen
to respond to the demand for food. We held a market on Mwangimgala
Island, at which there was no scarcity of supplies ; black pigs, goats,
sheep, bananas, plantains, cassaya br^, flour, maize, sweet potatoes,
yams, and fish being the principal things brought for sale.
" The tall chief of Bwena and the chief of Inguba, influenced by the two
chiefe of Ikengo, also thawed, and announced their coming by sounding
those curious double bell-gongs, and blowing long horns of iyory, the
notes of which distance made quite harmonious. During the whole of
this day life was most enjoyable, intercourse unreseryedly friendly,
and though most of the people were armed with guns there was no
manifestation of the least desire to be unciyil, rude, or hostile, which
inspired us once more with a feeling of security to which we hiul been
strangers since leaving Urangi.
" From my friends I learned that the name of the great river above
Bwena is called Ikelemba. When I asked them which was the largest
river, that which flowed by Mangala, or that which came from tlie south-
east, they replied, that though Ikelemba river was very large it was not
equal to the ' big river.'
" They also gave me the following bit of geography, which though a
little inaccurate is interesting :—
L^t Bank.
From Ikengo, in Nkonda, to
Ubangi to Irebu ...
Float down by Irebu .
Thence to Ukwer6 . .
„ „ NkokoNgomb^
„ „ Butimu . .
„ „ Usini . . .
„ „ Mpumba . .
„ „ Nkunda . .
,, „ Bolobo . . .
Isangu to Mankonno •
„ „ Chumbiri . .
„ „ Misongo . .
^ „ Nkunda . .
„ „ First Cataract
(Livingstone
FaUs). . . Iday.
Iday.
8 days.
Iday.
1 „
1 »
1 „
7 hours.
8 days.
4 «
4 hours.
4 «
4 „
10 days.
Bight Bank.
Ubangi 7 hours.
From Bolobo to Mom-
purengi .... 7
Thence to Isangu . • 7
1877.
Feb. 20.
Ikengo.
''The Barumb^ are a powerful tribe south-east of Ikengo, left bank.
They are probably a sub-tribe of Barua. Bunga is on the right bank.
Ubangi is a country which commences opposite Ikengo on the right bank
and faces Irebu. Not a single name, except Bankaro, can I recognise of all
that is published on Stanford's library map of Africa which I possess. It
is clear, then, that above the cataract, which is said to be about thirty days
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308 THROUQE THE DARK CONTINENT.
1877. from Ikengo, nothing was ever known by Enropeans. I wonder whether
Feb. 20. this cataract is the Sundi cataract reported by Tnckey ? The distance,
Ikesgo. which the natives give as 30 days, may be bnt 15 days according to onr
rate of travel.
" Every weapon these natives possess is decorated with fine brass wire
and brass tacks. Their knives are beantifal weapons, of a bill-hook
pattern, the handles of which are also profusely decorated with an
amount of brass-work and skill that places them very high among the
clever tribes. These knives are carried in broad sheaths of red bufihlo-
hide, and are suspended by a belt of the same material Besides an
antique flintlock musket, each warrior is armed with from four to five
light and long assegais, with staves being of the Curtisia faginea, and a
bill-hook sword. They are a finely formed people, of a chocolate brown,
very partial to camwood powder and palm-oiL Snuflf is very freely taken,
and their tobacco is most pungent
" February 21. — This afternoon at 2 p.m. we continued our journey.
Eight canoes accompanied us some distance, and then parted from us,
with many demonstrations of friendship. The river flows from Ikengo
south-westerly, the flood of the Ikelemba retaining its dark colour, and
spreading over a breadth of 3000 yards; the Livingstone's pure whitey-
grey waters flow over a breadth of about 5000 yards, in many broad
channels."
Digitized
byG00gl(
TEE FUBLIO MAKE TABGETS OF U3. 809
Feb. 22.
Ubangi.
CHAPTEE XI.
Running the ganntlet — Kindly solitudes — Amina's death — The human-
izing eflfects of trade apparent — "The most plausible rogue of all
Africa " — The king of Chumhiri ; his hospitality, wives, possessions,
and cunning — Making up a language — I^hons — The Ibari Nkutu
or the Kwango — Treacherous guides— The Stanley Pool — Chief
Itsi of Ntamo — We have to give up our big goat — River ob-
servations.
From the left bank we crossed to the right, on the ^istt.
morning of the 22nd, and, clinging to the wooded
shores of XJbangi, had reached at noon south latitude
0^ 51' 13''. Two hours later we came to where the
great river contracted to a breadth of 3000 yards,
flowing between two low rocky points, both of which
were populous, well cultivated, and rich with banana
plantations. Below these points the river slowly
widened again, and islands well wooded, as above river,
rose into view, until by their number they formed once
more intricate channels and winding creeks.
Desirous of testing the character of the natives, we
pulled across to the left bank, until, meeting with a
small party of fishermen, we were again driven by their
ferocity to seek the untravelled and unpopulated island
wildernesses. It was rather amusing than otherwise to
observe the readiness of the savages of Irebu to fire
their guns at us. They appeared to think that we
were human waifs without parentage, guardianship, or
means of protection, for their audacity was excessive.
One canoe with only four men dashed down at us from
Digitized
byG00gl(
Feb. 22.
Irebo.
310 TEBOUOH THE DABK CONTINENT.
1877.^ behind an island close to the left bank, and fired point-
blank from a distance of 100 yards. Another party
ran along a spit of sand and coolly waited our approach
on their knees, and, though we sheered off to a distance
of 200 yards from them, they poured a harmless volley
of slugs towards us, at which Baraka, the humourist,
said that the pagans caused us to " eat more iron than
grain."
Such frantic creatures, however, could not tempt us
to fight them. The river was wide enough, channels
innumerable afforded us means of escaping from their
mad ferocity, and if poor purblind nature was so
excessively arrogant. Providence had kindly supplied
us with crooked by-ways and unfrequented paths of
water which we might pursue unmolested.
At noon of the 23rd we had reached 1^ 22' 15'' south
latitude. Strong gales met us during each day. The
islands were innumerable, creeks and channels winding
in and out amongst the silent scenes. But though
their general appearance was much the same, almost
uniform in outline and size, the islands never became
commonplace. Was it from gratitude at the security they
afforded us from the ruthless people of these regions ?
I do not know, but every bosky island into whose dark
depths, shadowed by impervious roofs of foliage, we
gazed had about it something kindly and prepossess-
ing. Did we love them because, from being hunted by
our kind, and ostracized from communities of men, we
had come to regard them as our homes ? I cannot tell,
but I shall ever and for ever remember them. Ah,
had I but space, how I would revel in descriptions of
their treasures and their delights! Even with their
gad-flies and their tsetse, their mosquitoes and their
ants, I love them. There was no treachery or guile in
their honest depths ; the lurking assassin feared their
twilight gloom; the savage dared not penetrate their
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Irebu.
AMINA'B DEATH. 311
sliades without a feeling of horror; but to us they is??,
were refuges in our distress, and their solitudes healed ^^^' ^^'
our woes. How true the words, "Affliction cometh
not out of the dust, nor doth trouble spriug out of the
ground/* Innocence and peace dwelt in the wilderness
alone. Outside of them glared the fierce-eyed savage,
with malice and rage in his heart, and deadly weapons
in his hand.
To us, then, these untenanted islets, with their
"breadths of tropic shade, and palms in clusters,'*
seemed verily "knots of paradise." Like hunted
beasts of the chace, we sought the gloom and solitude
of the wilds. Along the meandering and embowered
creeks, huggiug the shadows of the o'er-arching woods,
we sought for that safety which man refused us.
The great river grew sea-like in breadth below Irebu
on the morning of the 24th : indeed, it might have
been 100 miles in breadth for aught we knew, deep-
buried as we were among the islands. Yet there were
broad and deep channels on every side of us, as well as
narrow creeks between lengthy islands. The volume
of water appeared exhaustless, though distributed over
such an enormous width. There was water sufficient
to float the most powerful steamers that float in the
Mississippi. Here and there amongst the verdured
isles gleamed broad humps of white sand, but on either
side were streams several hundred yards wide, with as
much as three fathoms' depth of water in the channels.
At noon we reached south latitude 1^ 37' 22". The
Mompurengi natives appeared on an island and ex-
pressed their feelings by discharging two guns at us,
which we did not resent, but steadily held on our way.
An hour afterwards faithful Amina, wife of Kacheche,
breathed her last, making a most affecting end.
Being told by Kacheche that his poor wife was dying,
I drew my boat alongside of the canoe she was lying in.
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812 THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1877. She was quite sensible, but very weak. " Ah, master !*'
Feb. 24. g^^ g^j^^ u J gj^g^jj never see the sea again. Your child
ren^r Aniina is dying. I have so wished to see the cocoa-
nuts and the mangoes; but no— Amina is dying —
dying in a pagan land. She will never see Zanzibar.
The master has been good to his children, and Amina
remembers it. It is a bad world, master, and you have
lost your way in it. Grood-bye, master ; do not forget
poor little Amina !"
While floating down, we dressed Amina in her
shroud, and laid her tenderly out, and at sunset con-
signed her body to the depths of the silent river.
The morning of the 25th saw us once again on the
broad stream floating down. We got a view of the
mainland to the right, and discovered it to be very
low. We hurried away into the island creeks, and
floated down amongst many reedy, grassy islets, the
haunt of bold hippopotami, one of which made a rush
at a canoe with open mouth, but contented himself
fortunately with a paddle, which he crunched into
splinters.
At noon we had reached south latitude 1° 58' 12".
About 4 P.M. we came to what appeared to be a river,
1500 yards wide, issuing from north-north-east, while
the course that we had followed was from the north-
east during the afternoon. It was quite free from
islets, and this made me suspect it was a separate
river. The main river was here about six miles wide.
During our voyage on the 26th the grassy islets
became more frequent, inhabited by the flamingo,
pelican, stork, whydahs, ibis, geese, ducks, &c. The
salt-makers find a great source of wealth in the
grasses ; and the smoke of their fires floated over the
country in clouds.
At 10 A.M. the Levy Hills rose into view about two
miles beyond the river on the left bank, which as we
Digitized
byG00gl(
MUTUAL ALABM. 313
neared Kutumpuku approached the river, and formed istt.
a ridge. Instantly the sight of the approaching hills ^®^' ^^'
suggested cataracts, and the memories of the terrific
struggles we had undergone in passing the Stanley
Falls were then brought vividly to our mind. What
should we do with our sadly weakened force, were we
to experience the same horrible scenes again ?
At noon I took an observation, and ascertained that we
were in south latitude 2° 23' 14". Edging off towards
the right bank, we came to a creek, which, from the
immense number of those amphibious animals, I have
called " Hippopotamus Creek.*' Grass-covered islets,
innumerable to us as we passed by them, were on either
side. When about half-way through this creek we
encountered seven canoes, loaded with men, about to
proceed to their fishing haunts. Our sudden meeting
occasioned a panic among the natives, and as man
had hitherto been a dreaded object, it occasioned us
also not a little uneasiness. Fortunately, however,
they retreated in haste, uttering their fearful ** Yaha-
ha-has," and we steadily pursued our way down river,
and about 3 p.m. emerged in view of the united
stream, 4000 yards wide, contracted by the steep culti-
vated slopes of Bolobo on the left, and by a beautiful
high upland — which had gradually been lifting from
the level plains— -on the right bank.
For a moment, as we issued in view of the stream,
with scores of native canoes passing backwards and
forwards, either fishing or proceeding to the grassy
islets to their fish-sheds and salt-making, we feared
that we should have another conflict ; but though they
looked at us wonderingly, there was no demonstration
of hostility. One man in a canoe, in answer to our
question, replied that the bold heights 200 feet above
the river, which swarmed with villages, was Bolobo.
Being so near the border of the savage lands above,
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Feb. 27,
Bolobo.
814 THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1877.^ we thought it safer to wait yet one more day before
attempting further intercourse with them.
On the 27th, during the morning, we were still
among islets and waving branches, but towards the after-
noon the islets had disappeared, and we were in view
of a magnificent breadth of four miles of clear water.
On our left the cultivated uplands of Bolobo had
become elevated into a line of wooded hills, and on
our right the wall of the brown grassy upland rose
high and steep, broken against the sky-line into
cones.
Gradually the shores contracted, until at 3 p.m. the
right bank deflected to a south-east course, and finally
shot out a long rocky point, which to us, accustomed to
an enormous breadth of river, appeared as though it
were the commencement of a cataract. We approached
it with the utmost caution, but on arriving near it we
discovered that the mirage had exaggerated its length
and height, for between it and the left bank were at
least 2500 yards of deep water.
The time had now come when we could no longer
sneak amongst reedy islets, or wander in secret amongst
wildernesses of water; we must once more confront
man. The native, as we had ascertained opposite
Bolobo, was not the destructive infuriate of Irebu or
Monipurengi, or the frantic brute of Mangala and
Marunja. He appeared to be toning down into the
MAN, and to understand that others of his species in-
habited this globe. At least, we hoped so. We wished
to test the accuracy of this belief, and now eagerly
searched for opportunities to exchange greetings, and to
claim kindred with him. As we had industriously col-
lected a copious vocabulary of African languages, we
felt a certain confidence that we had been sufficiently
initiated into the science of aboriginal language to be
able to begin practising it*
Digitized
byG00gl(
Chnmbiri
A HOSPITABLE KING. 315
Behind the rocky point were three natives fishing is??.
for minnows with hand-nets. We lay-to on our oars and ^^' J'^\
accosted them. They replied to us clearly and calmly.
There was none of that fierce fluster and bluster and
wild excitement that we had come to recognize as the
preliminary symptoms of a conflict. The word ndu —
brother — was more frequent. To our overtures of
friendship there was a visible inclination of assent;
there was a manifest desire to accept our conciliatory
sentiments; for we received conciliatory responses.
Who could doubt a pacific conclusion to the negotia-
tions ? Our tact and diplomacy had been educated in
a rough school of adversity. Once the attention of
the natives had been arrested, and their confidence
obtained, we had never failed to come to a friendly
imderstanding.
They showed us a camping-place at the base of the
brown grassy upland, in the midst of a thin grove of
trees. They readily subscribed to all the requirements
of friendship, blood-brotherhood, and an exchange of
a few small gifta Two of them then crossed the river
to Chumbiri, whose green wooded slopes and fields, and
villages and landing-place, were visible, to tell the king
of Chumbiri that peaceable strangers desired friendship
with him. They appeared to have described us to him
as most engaging people, and to have obtained his
cordial co-operation and sympathy in a very short time,
for soon three canoes appeared conveying about forty
men, under three of his sons, who bore to us the royal
spear, and several royal gifts, such as palm- wine, a goat,
bananas, and a chicken to us, and a hearty welcome
from the old king, their father, with the addition of a
promise that he would call himself the next day.
About 9 A.M. of the 28th the king of Chumbiri ap-
peared with Mat. Five canoes filled with musketeers
escorted him.
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316 THROUGH THE BARK CONTINENT.
1877. Though the sketch below is an admirable likeness
Feb. 28. ^£ \)xix\^ it may be well also to append a verbal de-
*"* scription. A small-eyed man of about fifty or there-
about, with a well-formed nose, but wide nostrils
and thin lips, clean shaved, or rather clean-plucked,
with a quiet yet sociable demeanour, ceremonious, and
mild-voiced, with the instincts of a greedy trader crop-
ping out of him at all points, and cunning beyond
THE KINO OF CHUMUIRl.
measure. The type of his curious hat may be seen on
the head of any Armenian priest. It was formed out
of close-plaited hyphene-palm fibre, sufficiently durable
to outlast his life though he might live a century.
From his left shoulder, across his chest, was sus-
pended the sword of the bill-hook pattern, already
described in the passages about Ikengo. Above his
shoulder stood upright the bristles of an elephant's tail.
His hand was armed with a buffalo's tail, made into a
Digitized
byG00gl(
" TEE PEACE PIPE— THE PUKWANA:' 317
fly-flapper, to whisk mosquitoes and gnats off the royal is??.
face. To his wrist were attached the odds and ends *^^* ^^
which the laws of superstition had enjoined upon him,
such as charm-gourds, charm-powders in bits of red and
black flannel, and a collection of wooden antiquities,
besides a snuff-gourd and a parcel of tobacco-leaves.
The king's people were apparently very loyal and
devoted to him, and his sons showed remarkable sub-
missiveness. The little snuff-gourd was in constant
requisition, and he took immoderate quantities, inhaling
a quarter of a teaspoonful at a time from the palm of
his hand, to which he pressed his poor nose until it
seemed to be forced into his forehead. Immediately
after, one of his filially affectionate children would fill
QREAT PIPE OF KIKQ OF CHUMBIBL
his long chibouque, which was 6 feet in length, decorated
with brass tacks and tassels of braided cloth. The bowl
was of iron, and large enough to contain half an ounce
of tobacco. He would then take two or three long-
drawn whifls, until his cheeks were distended like two
hemispheres, and fumigate his charms thoroughly with
the smoke. His sons then relieved him of the pipe — at
which he snapped his fingers — and distended their
cheeks into hemispherical protuberances in like manner,
and also in the same way fiimigated their little charms ;
and so the chibouque of peace and sociability went the
round of the circle, as though it was a council of Sioux
about to hold a pow-wow, and as the pipe passed round
there was an interchange of finger-snaps in a decorous,
grave, and ceremonious style.
Our intercourse with the king was very friendly,
Digitized
byG00gl(
March,
Chambiri.
818 THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1877. and it was apparent that we were mutually pleased.
The only fault that I, as a stranger, could find in
him was an excessive cunning, which approached to
the sublime. He had evidently cultivated fraud and
duplicity as an art, yet he was suave and wheedling.
Could I complain ? Never were people so willing to
be victimized. Had we been warned that he would
victimize us, I do not think that we should have
refused his friendship.
An invitation was extended to us to make his own
village our home. We were hungry; and no doubt
we were approaching cataracts. It would be welcome
knowledge to know what to expect below in that broad
defile filled by the great river ; what peoples, countries,
tribes, villages, rivers we should see ; if the tribes were
amenable to reason in the unknown country ; if white
men had ever been heard of; if there were cataracts
below, and if they were passable. We accepted the
invitation, and crossed the river, drums and double
bell-gongs sounding the peaceful advance of our flotilla
upon Churabiri.
We were proud of our reception by the dames of
Chumbiri. Loyal and submissive to their king, they
exhibited kindly attentions to the strangers. We held
a grand market, and won the natives' hearts by our
liberality. Back rations for several days were due to
our people, and, filled with an extravagant delight —
even as Frank and I were — they expended their ration
moneys with a recklessness of consequences which only
the novelty of the situation explained. We had arrived
at port, and weather-beaten voyagers are generally
free with their moneys upon such occasions.
The dames of Chumbiri were worth seeing, even to
us, who were sated with the thousand curious things we
had met in our long travels. They were also pretty,
of a rich brown colour many of them, large-eyed, and
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March.
Chambirl
THE DAMES OF CEUMBIRI. 319
finely formed, with a graceful curve of shoulder I had is??,
not often observed. But they were slaves of fashion.
Six-tenths of the females wore brass collars 2 inches
in diameter, three-tenths had them 2^ inches in dia-
meter ; one-tenth were oppressed with collars 3 inches
in diameter ; which completely covered the neck, and
nearly reached the shoulder ends. Fancy the weight
of 30 lbs. of brass, soldered permanently round the
neck ? Yet these oppressed women were the favourite
wives of Chumbiri! And they rejoiced in their op-
pression !
ONE OF THE KING's WIVES AT CHUMBIRL
I believe that Chumbiri — who, as I said, was a keen
and enterprising trader, the first aboriginal African
that might be compared to a Parsee — as soon as he
obtained any brass wire, melted it and forged it into
brass collars for his wives. That the collars were not
larger may be attributed, perhaps, to his poverty. He
boasted to me he possessed " four tens " of wives, and
each wife was collared permanently in thick brass. I
made a rough calculation, and I estimated that his
wives bore about their necks until death at least
800 lbs. of brass ; his daughters — he had six — 120 lbs. ;
his favourite female slaves about 200 lbs. Add 6 lbs.
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March,
ChumbirL
320 THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1877. of brass wire to each wife and daughter for arm and
leg ornaments, and one is astonished to discover that
Chumbiri possesses a portable store of 1396 lbs. of
brass.
I asked of Chumbiri what he did with the brass on
the neck of a dead wife. Chumbiri smiled. Cunning
rogue ; he regarded me benevolently, as though he
loved me for the searching question. Significantly he
drew his finger across his throat.
The warriors and young men are distinguished for
a characteristic style of hair-dressing, which belougs
to Uyanzi alone. It is arranged into four separate
glaits, two of which overhang the forehead. like lovers'
curls. Another special mark of Uyanzi are two tattooed
lines over the forehead. In whatever part of the
lower Livingstone these peculiarities of style may
be seen, they are indubitably Wy-yanzi, or natives of
Uyanzi.
The country of Uyanzi embraces many small dis-
tricts, and extends along the left bank of the great
river, from Bolobo, in south latitude 2^ 23' 14", to the
confluence of the Ibari Nkutu, or river of Nkutu, and
the Livingstone, in 3^ 14' south latitude. The prin-
cipal districts are Bolobo, Isangu, Chumbiri, Musevoka,
MisoDgo, and Ibaka. Opposite is the country of the
Batek^, a wilder tribe than the Wy-yanzi, some of
the more eastern of whom are professed cannibals.
To the north is the cannibal tribe of the Wanfuninga,
of ferocious repute, and dreaded by the Wy-yanzi and
Bateke.
The language of Uyanzi seemed to us to be a
mixture of almost all Central African dialects. Our
great stock of native words in all dialects proved of
immense use to me; and in three days I discovered,
after classifying and comparing the words heard from
the Wy-yanzi with other African words, that I was
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Chumbiri.
THE LINGUA FRANCA OF THE RIVER. 321
tolerably proficient, at least for all practical purposes, is??.
in the Kiyanzi dialect. ^^^"^^ '^•
On the 7th March we parted from the friendly king
of Chumbiri, with an escort of forty-five men, in three
canoes under the leadership of his eldest son, who was
instructed by his father to accompany us as far as the
pool, now called Stanley Pool, because of an incident
which will be described hereafter.
SON OF THE KINQ OF CHUMBIBI.
For some reason we crossed the river, and camped
on the right bank, two miles below Chumbiri. At
midnight the Wy-yanzi awoke us all by the fervour
with which they implored their fetishes to guide us
safely from camp to camp, which they named. As
they had been very successful in charming away the
rain with which we had been threatened the evening
before, our people were delighted to hear them pray
for success, having an implicit faith in them.
VOL. II. — 21
Digitized
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322 TEBOUGE TEE DARK CONTINENT.
1877. Just below our camp the river contracted to
March 8. gsQO yards, between two high hilly banks, from 400
^"■""^ to 600 feet high.
A violent rain-storm began at 8 a.m. of the 8tb,
which lasted four hours. We then made a start, but
after an hour of our company the escort lagged behind,
but told us to continue our journey, as they would
overtake us. Though I strongly suspected that the
Wy-yanzi intended to abandon us, we could find no
reasonable cause to doubt them, and therefore pro-
ceeded without them until near sunset. We camped in
the midst of a dense jungly forest. About an hour
after, the camp was alarmed by the shrieks of a boy,
who was about to be attacked by a python, which
vanished in the woods when the people rushed to the
rescue. The boy said he had hailed it at first, imagin-
ing it to be one of his friends. In half an hour the
python, or another one, was discovered in a different
part of the camp, about to embrace a woman in its
folds ; but this time, after tremendous excitement, the
monster was despatched. It measured only 13 feet
6 inches in length, and 15 inches round the thickest
part of the body.
At early dawn we continued our journey along the
right bank, and about 7 a.m. discovered a rapid river
about two hundred and fifty yards wide, having two
mouths, to which I have given the name of Lawson
River, after Mr. Edward Levy Lawson. The water was
of a very light colour.
The water of the Ikelemba river, which enters the
Livingstone above Ikengo in about 12' south latitude,
did not commingle with that of its great recipient
until both had flowed side by side in the same bed
for about 130 miles, or near Bolobo. Its strong-
tea-coloured water had now quite changed the com-
Digitized by VjOOQIC
March 9.
Ikelemba
TEE IBARI'NKUTU OB KWANQO. 323
plexion of the Livingstone ; for, while above Bolobo is??,
it bad a clear whitey-grey colour, it was now of a
deep brown. The other tea-coloured rivers, such
as the Euiki, Kasuku, and Black, above the Stanley
Falls, had soon become absorbed by the waters of the
Livingstone.
Below the last affluent the Livingstone narrowed
to 1500 yards, and flowed with a perceptibly quick-
ened current through the deep chasm in the table-
land, the slopes of which were mostly uninhabited;
but on the summit near the verge, on either side,
villages, banana plantations, and other signs of popu-
lation were visible.
I tossed my lead into the stream in this compara-
tively narrow channel, and obtained at the first cast
158 feet; half an hour afterwards I obtained 163; a
third time, 79 feet.
On our left, in south latitude 3° 14' 4", we came to
tlie Ibari (river) Nkutu, issuing from east-north-east
through a deepening cleft in the table-land, and 450
yards wide at the mouth, a powerful and deep river.
There is no doubt that this Ibari Nkutu is the Coango
or Kwango of the Portuguese, the sources of which
Livingstone crossed, on his way toLoanda in 1854, and
which takes its rise in the watershed that separates the
basin of the great river from that of the Zambezi.
Six miles below the confluence of the Nkutu river
with the Livingstone we drew our vessels close to a
large and thick grove, to cook breakfast, and with a
faint hope that in the meantime our guides would
appear. Fires were kindled, and the women were attend-
ing to the porridge of cassava flour for their husbands.
Frank and I were hungrily awaiting our cook^s voice to
announce our meal ready, when, close to us, several loud
musket-shots startled us all, and six of our men feH
Digitized
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March 9.
R. Nkutn.
824 THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1877. wounded. Though we were taken considerably at a
disadvantage, long habit had taught us how to defend
ourselves in a bush, and a desperate fight began, and
lasted an hour, ending in the retreat of the savages,
but leaving us with fourteen of our men wounded.
This was our thirty-second fight, and last.
After the wounded had been tended, and breakfast
despatched, we proceeded down river, and two miles
below we discovered the settlement to which our late
antagonists belonged. But we continued our journey
until 2 P.M., when, coming to a small island, we dis-
embarked. At 4 P.M. our long absent guides appeared,
and, as they were disinclined to halt, we followed them
down river, until they stopped at a large settlement
called Mwana Ibaka, which occupied a low semi-circular
terrace at the base of tall hills. Imagining that there
was not the slightest fear of a rupture after being
heralded by our friends, we steered for the shore ; but
as we approached, the shore swarmed with hundreds of
excited men, with brass-banded muskets in their hands.
Through sheer surprise at the frantic savagery so
suddenly displayed, we floated down dangerously near
the aiming men, before we observed that our guides
were making violent gestures for us to move oflF. This
recalled us to our senses, and we rowed away before the
fierce people had drawn trigger. Three miles below we
encamped on the right bank, and at sunset our guides
appeared, but halted on the left bank.
On the morning of the lOtb, at 6 a.m., the downward
voyage was continued, between lofty and picturesque
shores, here bold and precipitous, there wooded from
base to summit — here great hill shoulders sloping
abruptly to the edge of the deep river, there retreating
into wooded valleys between opposing ridges. Our
guides overtook us, but they would hold no conversation
Digitized
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"^TEE MOST PLAUSIBLE ROQUE OF ALL AFBICAr 325
with US, until, arriving at the woods of Ndande-Njoko, is??.
at 10 A.M., they changed their minds, crossed over to ^?^,^^
the right bank, and halted for breakfast. We also Njoko.
stopped, and renewed our intercourse with them, while
they began Vehemently to excuse themselves from being
the cause of Mwana Ibaka*s outrageously wild conduct,
and of not warning us of the murderous community
which had attacked us in the grove the day previous, and
which had caused us such a grievous loss. We excused
them gladly, and then took an opportunity of promising
more brass wire to them if they would accompany us
to the cataract ; but our friends required it in advance.
But having already been paid at Churabiri most boun-
teously for services which they had as yet shown no
disposition to give, and as we felt assured they would
not fulfil any new engagement, we resolved to depend
upon ourselves.
When I came to reflect upon the manner we had been
treated above river by the cannibals who had netted us
in at the Sixth Cataract of the Stanley Falls, and the
extraordinarily cunning king of Chumbiri and his sons,
I perceived that the conduct of both had alike sprung
from contempt of people of whom they knew nothing.
Though I have seen five hundred African chiefs, it
may not be amiss to record here my firm belief that
the mild- voiced king of Chumbiri is the most plausible
rogue of all Africa.
Near sunset we camped in a little cove below pre-
cipitous red cliff's, which had contracted the river to
1000 yards in width. The upper parts of these cliffs
consisted of hard grey sandstone, overlying a soft red
sandstone.
The 11th March was passed without further incident
than the usual storm — south-wester — which blew almost
every day, and often made the river dangerous to low-
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826 THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1877. board river canoes. The river was very deep, and flowed
^dI^ ^^ ^^*^ ^ current of 3 knots an hour, and varied in width
ciiffi. from 1000 to 1400 yards, pent in by the steep but
wooded slopes of the hilly ridges that rose to the height
of 600 feet above us. Red buffaloes and small antelope
were abundant on the right bank, but not even a shot
dared we fire, lest it might startle some frenzied savage
to sound the call to war, and so alarm the people at
the cataract the terrors of which we were constantly
exaggerating in our thoughts.
About 11 A.M. of the 12 th, the river gradually
expanded from 1400 yards to 2500 yards, which ad-
mitted us in view of a mighty breadth of river, which
the men at once, with happy appropriateness, termed
"a pool." Sandy islands rose in front of us like a
sea-beach, and on the right towered a long row of
cliffs, white and glistening, so like the cliffs of Dover
that Frank at once exclaimed that it was a bit of
England. The grassy table-land above the cliffs
appeared as green as a lawn, and so much reminded
Frank of Kentish Downs that he exclaimed enthusi-
astically, " I feel we are nearing home."
While taking an observation at noon of the position,
Frank, with my glass in his hand, ascended the highest
part of the large sandy dune that had been deposited
by the mighty river, and took a survey of its strange
and sudden expansion, and after he came back he said,
** Why, I declare, sir, this place is just like a pool ; as
broad as it is long. There are mountains all round it,
and it appears to me almost circular." ♦
" Well, if it is a pool, we must distinguish it
by some name. Give me a suitable name for it,
Frank."
• Frank described the crater of an extinct volcano, which is mx miles
in length and four miles wide, as described more in detail subsequently.
Digitized
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Digitized
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Ih* rirgr at
^^s
V^
h
ST"
ji Y
•^
JTJy. 13k, per**- .. .-- 'N.., «-.-
STANLEY POOL. 327
*'Why not call it * Stanley Pool/ and these cliflfe is??.
Dover Cliffs ? For no traveller who may come here ^"^ ^^
again will fail to recognize the cliffs by that name," PooL^
Subsequent events brought these words vividly to
my recollection, and in accordance with Frank*s sug-
gestion I have named this lake-like expansion of
the river from Dover Cliffs to the first cataract of the
Livingstone Falls — embracing about thirty square
miles — ^the Stanley Pool. The latitude of the entrance
from above to the pool was ascertained to be 4^ 3' south
latitude.
The left shore is occupied by the populous settle-
ments of Nshasa, Nkunda, and Ntamo. The right is
inhabited by the wild Bateke, who are generally
accused of being cannibals.
Soon after we began our descent of the pool, skirting
the right shore, we observed a chalky mount, near
which were two or three columns of the same material.
From a cove just below emerged two or three Bateke
canoes, the crews of which, after collecting their faculties,
consented to show us the cataract, the noise of which,
as they attempted to describe it, elicited roars of
laughter from the members of the Expedition. This
outburst of loud merriment conquered all reluctance
on the part of the Bateke to accompany us.
After winding in and out of many creeks which
were very shallow, we approached the village of Man-
koneh, the chief of the Batek^. His people during
the daytime are generally scattered over these sandy
dunes of the Stanley Pool attending to their nets and
fish-snares, and to protect themselves from the hot sun
always take with them several large mats to form
sheds. Mankoneh, to our great delight, was a bluff,
hearty, genial soul, who expressed unbounded pleasure
at seeing us ; he also volunteered to guide us to the
Digitized by VjOOQIC
March 12.
Ntamo.
828 TEBOUQE TEE DABK CONTINENT.
1877. falls. He was curious to know how we proposed
travelling after arriving near them, for it was impos-
sible, he said, to descend the falls. By a ludicrous
pantomime he led us to understand that they were
something very fearful.
A few hundred yards below his village the pool
sharply contracted, and the shore of Ntamo — a pro-
jecting point from the crescent-shaped ridge beyond —
appeared at a distance of 2000 yards. It was then that
we heard for the first time the low and sullen thunder
of the first cataract of the Livingstone Falls.
Slowly Mankoneh, in his canoe, glided down towards
it, and louder it grew on the ears, until when within one
hundred yards of the first line of broken water, he pointed
forward, and warned us not to proceed farther. We
made for the shore, and found ourselves on a narrow
ledge-like terrace bristling with great blocks of granite,
amidst a jungly tangle, which grew at the base of
high hills. Here, after a short busy period with axe
and machete, we constructed a rude camp. The only
level spot was not six feet square.
Mankoneh, the Batek^ chief, pointed out to us the
village of Itsi, the chief of Ntamo, which is situate
on the left bank, in a line with the beginning of the
first cataract, and spoke of Itsi with great respect, as
though he were very powerful.
About 5 P.M. a small canoe was observed to cross
over to our side from the left bank, a mile above the
falls. The canoe-men, through the representations of
our hearty friend Mankoneh, were soon induced to land
in our camp to converse with the white men, and
before long we had succeeded in making them feel
quite at home with us. As they were in a quiver of
anxious desire to impart to the chief Itsi all the won-
derful things they had witnessed with us, they departed
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March 12
Ntamo.
THE QBE AT IT8I OF NTAMO. 329
about sunset, solemnly promising we should see the is??.
famous Itsi of Ntamo next morning.
Lashing our canoes firmly lest an accident should
happen during the night, we turned to our rude huts
to sleep in peace. We were all very hungry, as we
had been able to purchase nothing from the natives
since leaving Chumbiri. five days before, and we had
been more than usually improvident, having placed
far too much reliance on the representations so pro-
fusely made to us by the mild-voiced but cunning
king of Chumbiri. From very shame I refrain from
publishing the stores of goods with which I purchased
the glib promises of assistance from Chumbiri, not one
of which were realized.
Morning of the 13th March found us, from the early
hours of dawn, anxiously waiting the arrival of Itsi of
Ntamo and the reappearance of Mankoneh. From our
camp we might easily with a glass note any movement
on the other bank. At 9 a.m. — Itsi evidently was not an
early riser — a large canoe and two consorts, laden with
men, were seen propelled up stream along the left bank,
and a mile above the landing-place to cross the river at
a furious pace. The rows of upright figures, with long
paddles, bending their bodies forward in unison, and
their voices rising in a swelling chorus to the sound
of the steady beat of a large drum, formed a pretty
and inspiring sight. Arriving at the right bank,
with a perfect recklessness of the vicinity of the falls,
they dashed down towards our camp at the rate of
six knots an hour. The large war-canoe, though
not quite equal to the monster of the Aruwimi in
size, was a noble vessel, and Itsi, who was seated
in state "mid- ship,'* with several grey-headed elders
near him, was conscious, when he saw our admiration,
that he had created a favourable impression. She
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830 THROUGH THE DABK CONTINENT.
1877. measured 85 feet 7 inches in length, 4 feet in width,
March 13. ^^^ ^33 3 f^^j. 3 Jnches deep. Her crew consisted of
^™^* sixty paddlers and four steersmen, and she carried
twenty-two passengers, close-packed, besides, making
a total of eighty-six persons. The other two canoes
carried ninety-two persons altogether.
We cordially invited Itsi and his people to our camp,
to which they willingly responded. Some grass, fresh
cut, in anticipation of the visit of our honourable
friends, had been strewn over a cleared space close
to the stream, and our best mats spread over it.
There were four or five grey-headed elders present,
one of whom was introduced as Itsi. He laughed
heartily, and it was not long before we were on a
familiar footing. They then broached the subject of
blood-brotherhood. We were willing, but they wished
to defer the ceremony until they had first shown their
friendly feelings to us. Accordingly the old man
handed over to me ten loaves of cassava bread, or
cassava pudding, fifty tubers of cassava, three bunches
of bananas, a dozen sweet potatoes, some sugar-cane,
three fowls, and a diminutive goat. A young man of
about twenty-six years made Frank's acquaintance by
presenting to him double the quantity I received.
This liberality drew my attention to him. His face
was dotted with round spots of soot-and-oil mixture.
From his shoulders depended a long cloth of check
pattern, while over one shoulder was a belt, to which
was attached a queer medley of small gourds containing
snuff and various charms, which he called his Inkisi.
In return for the bounteous store of provisions given to
Frank and myself, as they were cotton- or grass-cloth-
wearing people, we made up a bundle of cloths for each
of the principals, which they refused, to our surprise.
We then begged to know what they desired, that we
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OUR BIG GOAT. 831
might show our appreciation of their kindness, and is??.
seal the bond of brotherhood with our blood. ^"''^ ^^
The yonng man now declared himself to be Itsi, the
king of Ntamo ; the elder, who had previously been
passed off for the king, being only an ancient councillor.
It was a surprise, but not an unpleasant one, though
there was nothing very regal or majestic about him,
unless one may so call his munificent bounty to Frank
as compared to the old man's to me. We finally
prevailed upon Itsi to inform us what gift would be
pleasing to him.
He said, " I want only that big goat ; if you give
me that, I shall want nothing more."
The " big goat " which he so earnestly required was
the last of six couples I had purchased in Uregga for
the purpose of presentation to an eminent English
lady, in accordance with a promise I had made to her
four years previously. All the others had perished
from heat 'apoplexy, sickness, and want of proper care,
which the terrible life we had led had prevented us
from supplying. This "big goat" and a lion-like ram,
gigantic specimens of the domestic animals of Man-
yema and Uregga, were all that survived. They had
both become quite attached to us, and were valued
companions of a most eventful journey of 1100 miles.
I refused it, but offered to double the cloths. Where-
upon Itsi sulked, and prepared to depart, not, however,
before hinting that we should find it difficult to obtain
food if he vetoed the sale of provisions. We coaxed
him back again to his seat, and offered him one of
the asses. The possession of such a " gigantic" animal
as an ass, which was to him of all domestic animals a
veritable Titanosaurus, was a great temptation ; but the
shuddering women, who feared being eaten by it,
caused him to decline the honour of the gift. He now
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March 13.
Ntamo.
832 TEBOUGE TEE DARK CONTINENT.
1877. oflfered three goats for what appeared to him to be the
" largest " goat in Africa, and boasted of his goodness,
and how his friendship would be serviceable to me,
whereas, if he parted in anger, why, we should be
entirely at his mercy. The goat was therefore trans-
ferred to his canoe, and Itsi departed for Ntamo as
though he were in possession of a new wonder.
Our provisions were only sufficient to prove what
appetites we possessed, and not to assuage them : all
were consumed in a few minutes, and we were left
with only hopes of obtaining a little more on the
next day.
On the 14th Itsi appeared with his war-canoe at
9 A.M., bringing three goats and twenty loaves of cas-
sava bread and a few tubers, and an hour afterwards
Nchuvira, king of Nkunda, Mankoneh, chief of the
Bateke fishermen near the Stanley Pool, and the king
of Nshasa, at the south-east end of the Stanley Pool,
arrived at our camp with several canoe creWs. Each of
the petty sovereigns of the districts in our neighbour-
hood contributed a little, but altogether we were only
able to distribute to each person 2 lbs. of eatable pro-
visions. Every chief was eager for a present, with
which he was gratified, and solemn covenants of peace
were entered into between the whites and the blacks.
The treaty with Itsi was exceedingly ceremonious and
involved the exchange of charms. Itsi transferred
to me, for my protection through life, a small gourdful
of a curious powder, which had rather a saline taste,
and I delivered over to him, as the white man's charm
against all evil, a half-ounce vial of magnesia ; further,
a small scratch in Frank's arm, and another in Itsi's
arm, supplied blood sufficient to unite us in one and
indivisible bond of fraternity. After this we were
left alone.
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AN EXOHANaE OF 0EABM3.
333
Ntamo.
An observation by boiling-point, above the First is??.
Cataract of Livingstone Falls, disclosed to us an alti- ^'"^ ^^
tude of 1147 feet above the ocean. At Nyangw^ the
river was 2077 feet. In 1235 miles therefore there
had been only a reduction of 930 feet, divided as
follows : —
F«et.
Nyangw6 2077'
4 miles below seventh cataract,
Stanley Falls 1511
Feet 566
4 miles below seyenth cataract,
Stanley Falls 1511
River at Ntamo, above first
cataract, Livingstone Falls . 1147
Feet 364.
Dtstance
InMilM.
8S7
FaUperMUt.
20 inches.
River
uninterrupted.
5 inches nearly.
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334 THBOUQH THE DABK CONTINENT.
CHAPTER XII.
The struggle with the river renewed — Passing the "Father" — In the
" Cauldron " — Poor Kalulu I — Soudi's strange adventures — At the
"Whirlpool Narrows" — Lady Alice Bapids — Our escape fifom
death — " Isles of Eden "— Thieves amongst us — The Inkisi Falls —
The canoes dragged over the mountain — Trade along the Living-
stone —Ulcers and entozoa — An artful compound.
1877. The wide wild land which, by means of the greatest
March 15. yiver of Africa, we have pierced, is now about to be
N**™o- presented in a milder aspect than that which has filled
the preceding pages with records of desperate conflicts
and furious onslaughts of savage men. The people no
longer resist our advance. Trade has tamed their
natural ferocity, until they no longer resent our
approach with the fury of beasts of prey.
It is the dread river itself of which we shall have
now to complain. It is no longer the stately stream
whose mystic beauty, noble grandeur, and gentle un-
interrupted flow along a course of nearly nine hundred
miles, ever fascinated us, despite the savagery of its
peopled shores, but a furious river rushing down a
steep bed obstructed by reefs of lava, projected bar-
riers of rock, lines of immense boulders, winding in
crooked course through deep chasms, and dropping
down over terraces in a long series of falls, cataracts,
and rapids. Our frequent contests with the savages
culminated in tragic struggles with the mighty river
as it rushed and roared through the deep, yawning
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River.
TEE STRUGGLE WITH THE BIVER RENEWED. 335
pass that leads from the broad table-land down to the 1877.
Atlantic Ocean. ^*"*^ ^^
Those voiceless and lone streams meandering between B^nnrtt
the thousand isles of the Livingstone ; those calm and
silent wildernesses of water over which we had poured
our griefs and wailed in our sorrow; those woody
solitudes where nightly we had sought to soothe our
fevered brows, into whose depths we breathed our
vows ; that sea-like amplitude of water which had
proved our refuge in distress, weird in its stillness,
and solemn in its mystery, are now exchanged for the
clifiF-lined gorge, through which with inconceivable
fury the Livingstone sweeps with foaming billows into
the broad Congo, which, at a distance of only 155
geographical miles, is nearly 1100 feet below the
summit of the first fall.
On the 16th March, having explored as far as the
Gordon-Bennett River, and obtained a clear idea of
our situation during the 15 th, we began our labours
with energy. GU)ods, asses, women, and children, with
the guard under Frank, first moved overland to a tem-
porary halting-place near the confluence. Then man-
ning the boat, I led the canoe-men from point to point
along the right bank, over the first rapids. We had
some skilful work to perform to avoid being swept away
by the velocity of the current ; but whenever we came
to rocks we held the rattan hawsers in our hands, and,
allowing the stream to take them beyond these dan-
gerous points, brought them into the sheltered lee.
Had a hawser parted nothing could have saved the
canoe or the men in it, for at the confluence of the
Gordon-Bennett with the great river the entire river
leaps headlong into an abysm of waves and foam.
Arriving in the Gordon-Bennett, we transported the
Expedition across, and then our labours ended at 5 p.m.
for the day.
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836 THROUGH THE DAEK CONTINENT.
1877. Itsi of Ntamo had informed us there were only three
^^l^' cataracts, which he called the "Child," the " Mother,"
Cataract, and the " Father.** The ** Child " was a two hundred
,Jie fSis. y^^ds* stretch of broken water; and the "Mother,"
consisting of half a mile of dangerous rapids, we had suc-
ceeded in passing, and had pushed beyond it by crossing
the upper branch of the Gordon-Bennett, which was
an impetuous stream, 75 yards wide, with big cataracts
of its own higher up. But the " Father " is the wildest
stretch of river that I have ever sten. Take a strip of
sea blown over by a hurricane, four miles in length and
half a mile in breadth, and a pretty accurate conception
of its leaping waves may be obtained. Some of the
troughs were 100 yards in length, and from one
to the other the mad river plunged. There was first a
rush down into the bottom of an immense trough, and
then, by its sheer force, the enormous volume would
lift itself upward steeply until, gathering itself into a
ridge, it suddenly hurled itself 20 or 30 feet straight
upward, before rolling down into another trough. If
I looked up or down along this angry scene, every in-
terval of 50 or 100 yards of it was marked by wave-
towers — their collapse into foam and spray, the mad
clash of watery hills, bounding mounds and heaving
billows, while the base of either bank, consisting
of a long line of piled boulders of massive size,
was buried in the tempestuous surf. The roar was
tremendous and deafening. I can only compare it
to the thunder of an express train through a rock
tunnel. To speak to my neighbour, 1 had to bawl
in his ear.
The most powerful ocean steamer, going at full speed
on this portion of the river, would be as helpless as a
cockle-boat. I attempted three times, by watching some
tree floated down from above, to ascertain the rate of
the wild current by observing the time it occupied in
Digitized
byG00gl(
Digitized
byG00gl(
•' \
K- 1
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• •■ ;i i ' '. t.n-!]' 1: '. • a it I// c: o -^ i^;■r•
.'i.'j- wives !•'•»
V b- oM;!
-', 0 (;r
■ w -iv 11;-^ "^;:' Is il. I'.-nc^Ii, ill!'- iVoi:) .'-
v:\ •] .\>ii 1..; . t; - l>f ^ -.m o^' i\n i..- "ei>'^ rs'.'i:-^ , nv^*
*' •'\ 1-' }*'j sIk' r i'-i,;.-, ti)* f''>]i-rnv)>\< a'.'1tii].j ^vou''l
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t«'\:ii v)i TiU <.T 100 ya'>l> vu It w)^'* T\ajL'.\{ "hy wav.-
lu'vi ,— -!.. j:r '\>iiM]'-^e ii/o iv;:.ai ai^J ^J)r'\v, the-* niaJ
c'asu of ua^'..:y liill:-', 1 -MLi-li].;:- n)OM::vl> a';J li^^avir--
;-;'l<n\s, A\Lil*j Ll>o I'^-e of LJi'ier ImiiJc, i^'-rs-sUK^i^
^■•:k-^ lurir ! ia t^.'' tt-ii.; ^-nMui.-. surf. I'c r-'.-r Wi..
■'■ li^.e *iiT nii'M' of 0T> e::])rc. ; traJa tiii»)::p'li a ro?k
.'\ 'J'o ^)^r->\i to uiy J 'M^^-f'hour, 1 liad to 1 awl
', • * , "V'cif^iJ ('Cr:ui ^U'anv ,\ ^"'^ii'L,' at lUll ■ \.0'- 1
■ ^rti )n of tijo ri\(M', voiild l.<"as .'i- ^'^-^^ ^^s a
't. I attf U:j'^»^<l tl;*'"*j iiTiivs, I'y v ;;(^-"hi:.o ^r-ny^
'.,'1 ilo^vu hum al>uv*., to :«.-«■ itaiii iho v^k) ol
.■'it ly o:'-cr^'J^^^ fhc T:iinj 't u<H':ij'ii.M in
■ Digitized
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Digitized
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Digitized
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Bateku.
PASSING " TEE FATHER.'' 837
passing between two given points, from which I esti- is??.
mate it to be about thirty miles an hour ! ^'^^^^^ ^^'
On the 17th, after cutting brushwood and laying it
over a path of 800 yards in length, we crossed from
the upper branch of the Gordon-Bennett to the lower
branch, which was of equal breadth, but 20 feet below
it This enabled us the next day to float down to the
confluence of the lower branch with the Livingstone.
We could do no more on this day ; the people were
fainting from lack of food.
On the 18th, through the good-will of Mankoneh, the
chief of the Bateke, we were enabled to trade with
the aborigines, a wild and degraded tribe, subsisting
principally on fish and cassava. A goat was not to be
obtained at any price, and for a chicken they demanded
a gun ! Cassava, however, was abundant.
From the confluence we formed another brush-covered
road, and hauled the canoes over another 800 yards
into a creek, which enabled us to reach on the 20th a
wide sand-bar that blocked its passage into the great
river. The sand-bar, in its turn, enabled us to reach the
now moderated stream, below the influence of the roar-
ing ** Father," and to proceed by towing and punting
half a mile below to an inlet in the rocky shore.
Gampa, the young chief of this district, became very
friendly, and visited us each day with small gifts of
cassava bread, a few bananas, and a small gourd of
palm-wine.
On the 21st and the two days following we were
engaged in hauling our vessels overland, a distance of
three-quarters of a mile, over a broad rocky point, into
a bay-like formation. Gampa and his people nerved
us to prosecute our labours by declaring that there was
only one small cataract below. Full of hope, we halted
on the 24th to rest the wearied people, and in the
meantime to trade for food.
VOL. II. — 22
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338
THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1877.
March 25.
The «*Caul.
dron."
The 25th saw us at work at dawn in a bad piece of
river, which is significantly styled the " Cauldron/' Our
best canoe, 75 feet long, 3 feet wide, by 21 inches deep,
the famous London Town^ commanded by Manwa Sera,
was torn from the hands of fifty men, and swept away
in the early morning down to destruction. In the after-
noon, the Glasgow^ parting her cables, was swept away,
drawn nearly into mid-river, returned up river half a
mile, again drawn into the depths, ejected into a bay
near where Frank was camped, and, to our great joy,
OVER ROCKY POINT CLOSE TO GAMPA'S.
finally recovered. Accidents were numerous ; the glazed
trap rocks, washed by the ever-rising tidal-like waves,
were very slippery, occasioning dangerous falls to the
men. One man dislocated his shoulder, another was
bruised on the hips, and another had a severe contusion
of the head. Too careless of my safety in my eagerness
and anxiety, I fell down, feet first, into a chasm 30 feet
deep between two enormous boulders, but fortunately
escaped with only a few rib bruises, though for a short
time I was half stunned.
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- w -.
Digitized by VjOOQIC ^
IN TEE " OAULDRONP 339
On the 27tli we happily succeeded in passing the 1877.
fearful Cauldron, but during our last efforts the ^^^^.^^^
Crocodile^ 85 feet 3 inches long, was swept away into island
the centre of the Cauldron, heaved upward, whirled
round with quick gyrations, and finally shot into the bay
north of Rocky Island, where it was at last secured.
The next day we dropped down stream, and reached
the western end of the bay above Rocky Island
Falls.
Leaving Frank Pocock as usual in charge of the
camp and goods, I mustered ninety men — most of the
others being stiff from wounds received in the fight
at Mwana Ibaka and other places — and proceeded, by
making a wooden tramway with sleepers and rollers, to
pass Rocky Island Falls. Mpwapwa and Shumari, of the
boat's crew, were sent to explore, meanwhile, for another
inlet or recess in the right bank. By 2 p.m. we were
below the falls, and my two young men had returned,
reporting that a mile or so below there was a fine
camp, with a broad strip of sand lining a bay. This
animated us to improve the afternoon hours by attempt-
ing to reach it. The seventeen canoes now left to us
were manned according to their capacity. As I was
about to embark in my boat to lead the way, I turned
to the people to give my last instructions — which were,
to follow me, clinging to the right bank, and by no
means to venture into mid-river into the current. While
delivering my instructions, I observed Kalula in the
Crocodile^ which was made out of the Bassia Parkii
tree, a hard heavy wood, but admirable for canoes.
When I asked him what he wanted in the canoe, he
replied, with a deprecating smile and an expostulat-
ing tone, " I can pull, sir ; see !*' " Ah, very well,**
I answered.
The boat-boys took their seats, and, skirting closely
the cliffy shore, we rowed down stream, while I stood
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840 THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1877. in the bow of the boat, guiding the coxswain, Uledi,
*kIi V^* with my band. The river was not more than 450 yardi
Falls, wide; but one cast of the sounding-lead close to the
bank obtained a depth of 138 feet. The river was
rapid, with certainly a 7-knot current, with a smooth
greasy surface, now and then an eddy, a gurgle, and
gentle heave, but not dangerous to people in pos-
session of their wits. In a very few moments we had
descended the mile stretch, and before us, 600 yards
oflF, roared the furious falls since distinguished by the
name " Kalulu."
With a little effort we succeeded in rounding the
point and entering the bay above the falls, and
reaching a pretty camping-place on a sandy beach.
The first, second, and third canoes arrived soon after
me, and I was beginning to congratulate myself on
having completed a good day's work, when to my
horror I saw the Crocodile in mid-river far below the
point which we had rounded, gliding with the speed of an
arrow towards the falls over the treacherous calm water.
Human strength availed nothing now, and we watched
it in agony, for I had three favourites in her — Kalulu,
Mauredi, and Ferajji ; and of the others, two, Rehani
Makua and Wadi Jumah, were also very good men.
It soon reached the island which cleft the falls, and was
swept down the left branch. We saw it whirled round
three or four times, then plunged down into the depths,
out of which the stern presently emerged pointed up-
ward, and we knew then that Kalulu and his canoe-
mates were no more.
Fast upon this terrible catastrophe, before we could
begin to bewail their loss, another canoe with two men
in it darted past the point, borne by irresistibly on the
placid but swift current to apparent, nay, almost certain
destruction. I despatched my boat's crew up along the
cliffs to warn the forgetful people that in mid-stream was
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POOR KALULUl
341
certain death, and shouted out commands for the two men
to strike for the left shore. The steersman by a strange
chance shot his canoe over the falls, and, dexterously
edging his canoe towards the left shore a mile below,
he and his companion contrived to spring ashore and
were saved. As we observed them clamber over the
rocks to approach a point opposite us, and finally sit
down, regarding us in silence across the river, our pity
DEATH OF KALULU.
1877.
March 28.
Kalula
Falls.
and love gushed strong towards them, but we could
utter nothing of it. The roar of the falls completely
mocked and overpowered the feeble human voice.
Before the boat's crew could well reach the descend-
ing canoes, the boulders being very large and offering
great obstacles to rapid progress, a third canoe — but a
small and light one — with only one man, the brave
lad Soudi, who escaped from the spears of the Wanya-
turu assassins in 1875, darted by, and cried out, as he
Digitized
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342 TEROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1877. perceived himself to be drifting helplessly towards the
^'^lui? ^*"^' " ^^ ^^ ^^^^^' ^^ Allah"— There is but one God—
FaiL** I am lost ! Master !" He was then seen to address
himself to what fate had in store for him. We watched
him for a few moments, and then saw him drop. Out
of the shadow of the fall he presently emerged, drop-
ping from terrace to terrace, precipitated down, then
whirled round, caught by great heavy waves, which
whisked him to right and left, and struck madly at
him, and yet his canoe did not sink, but he and it
were swept behind the lower end of the island, and
then darkness fell upon the day of horror. Nine men
lost in one afternoon !
This last accident, I was told, was caused by the
faithlessness of the crew. One man, utterly unnerved
by his fear of the river, ran away and hid in the bushes ;
the two others lost their hold of the tow-ropes, and
thus their comrade was carried into the swift centre.
On the 30th March a messenger was despatched to
Frank to superintend the transport of the goods over-
land to where I had arrived with the boat. The natives
continued to be very amiable, and food was abundant
and cheap. They visited our camp from morning to
night, bringing their produce from a great distance.
They are a very gentle and harmless tribe, the Western
Bateke, and distinguishable by four cicatrices down each
cheek. They are also remarkable for their numerous
bird snares — bird-lime being furnished by the JFHcus
sycamorus — and traps. About sunset a wide-spreading
flock of large birds like parrots passed north-east over
our camp, occupying nearly half an hour in passing.
They were at too great an altitude to be recognized.
Lead-coloured water-snakes were very numerous, the
largest being about 7 feet in length and 2^ inches in
diameter.
Confined within the deep narrow valley of the river,
Digitized
byG00gl(
soanrs stranqe adventures. 343
the hills rising to the height of about 800 feet above is??,
us, and exposed to the continued uproar of the river, '^f"^ ^*
we became almost stunned during our stay of the 3 1st f1ilI°
On the 1st April we cleared the Kalulu Falls, and
camped on the right bank below them. Our two
absentees on the left side had followed us, and were
signalling frequently to us, but we were helpless.
The next day we descended a mile and a half of rapids,
and in the passage one more canoe was lost, which
reduced our flotilla to thirteen vessels.
About 2 P.M., to the general joy, appeared young
Soudi and our two absentees who the day before had
been signalling us from the opposite side of the river 1
Soudi's adventures had been very strange. He had
been swept down over the upper and lower Kalulu
Falls and the intermediate rapids, and had been
whirled round so often that he became confused.
" But clinging to my canoe," he said, " the wild river
carried me down and down and down, from place to
place, sometimes near a rock, and sometimes near the
middle of the stream, until an hour after dark, when
I saw it was near a rock ; I jumped out, and, catching
my canoe, drew it on shore. I had scarcely finished
when my arms were seized, and I was bound by two
men, who hurried me up to the top of the mountain,
and then for an hour over the high land, until we
came to a village. They then pushed me into a house,
where they lit a fire, and when it was bright they
stripped me naked and examined me. Though I pre-
tended not to understand them, I knew enough to
know that they were proud of their prize. They
spoke kindly to me, and gave me plenty to eat ; and
while one of them slept, the other watched sharp lest
I should run away. In the morning it was rumoured
over the village that a handsome slave was captured
from a strange tribe, and many people came to see me,
Digitized
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844 TEROUGH TEE DABK CONTINENT.
1877. one of whom had seen us at Ntamo, and recognized me.
April 2. rpjjjg ^^^ immediately charged the two men with
Tvftliiln
Falls, having stolen one of the white man's men, and he
drew snch a picture of you, master, with large eyes of
fire and long hair, who owned a gun that shot all day,
that all the people became frightened, and compelled
the two men to take me back to where they had found
me. They at once returned me my clothes, and
brought me to the place near where I had tied my
canoe. They then released me, saying, * Go to your
king ; here is food for you ; and do not tell him what
we have done to you ; but tell him you met friends
who saved you, and it shall be well with us.' "
The other two men, seeking for means to cross the
river, met Soudi sitting by his canoe. Th^ three
became so encouraged at one another's presence that
they resolved to cross the river rather than endure
further anxiety in a strange land. Despair gave them
courage, and though the river was rapid, they suc-
ceeded in crossing, a mile below the place they had
started from, without accident.
On the 3rd April we descended another mile and a
half of dangerous rapids, during which several acci-
dents occurred. One canoe was upset which contained
fifty tusks of ivory and a sack of beads. Four men
had narrow escapes from drowning, but ITledi, my
coxswain, saved them. I myself tumbled headlong into
a small basin, and saved myself with difficulty from
being swept away by the receding tide.
Our system of progress was to begin each day with
Frank leading the Expedition overland to a camp at the
head of some inlet, cove, or recess, near rapids or falls,
where, with the older men, women, and children, he con-
structed a camp ; the working party, consisting of the
younger men, returning to assist me with the canoe&
down to the new camp. Anxious for the safetv of the
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AT THE " WHIRLPOOL NARBOWSr 345
people, I superintended the river work myself, and each is??.
day led the way in the boat. On approaching rapids I q'*"!^
selected three or four of the boat's crew (and always
Uledi, the coxswain), and clambered along the great
rocks piled along the base of the steeply sloping hills,
until I had examined the scene. If the rapids or fall
were deemed impassable by water, I planned the
shortest and safest route across the projecting points,
and then, mustering the people, strewed a broad track
with bushes, over which, as soon as completed, we set
to work to haul our vessels beyond the dangerous
water, when we lowered them into the water, and
pursued our way to camp, where Frank would be
ready to give me welcome, and such a meal as the
country afforded.
At Gamfwe s the natives sold us abundance of bread,
or rolls of pudding, of cassava flour, maize, cassava
leaves, water-cresses, and the small Strychnos fruit,
and, for the first time, lemons. Fowls were very dear,
and a goat was too expensive a luxury in our now
rapidly impoverishing state.
On the 8th we descended from Gamfwe's to " Whirl-
pool Narrows," opposite Umvilingya. When near there
we perceived that the eddy tides, which rushed up river
along the bank, required very delicate and skilful
manoeuvring. I experimented on the boat first, and
attempted to haul her by cables round a rocky point
from the bay near Whirlpool Narrows. Twice they
snapped ropes and cables, and the second time the boat
flew up river, borne on the crests of brown waves, with
only Uledi and two men in her. Presently she wheeled
into the bay, following the course of the eddy, and
Uledi brought her in-shore. The third time we
tried the operation with six cables of twisted rattan,
about 200 feet in length, with five men to each
cable. The rocks rose singly in precipitous masses
Digitized
byG00gl(
346 THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1877. 50 feet above the river, and this extreme height in-
Aprii 8. creased the difficulty and rendered footing precarious,
Nam)?J!^ for furious eddies of past ages had drilled deep
circular pits, like ovens, in them, 4, 6, even 10 feet
deep. However, with the utmost patience we succeeded
in rounding these enormous blocks, and hauling the
boat against the uneasy eddy tide to where the river
resumed its natural downward flow. Below this, as I
learned, were some two miles of boisterous water ; but
mid-river, though foaming in places, was not what we
considered dangerous. We therefore resolved to risk
it in mid-stream, and the boat's crew, never backward
when they knew what lay in front of them, manned
the boat, and in fifteen minutes we had taken her into
a small creek near Umvilingya's landing, which ran
up river between a ridge of rocks and the right bank.
This act instilled courage into the canoe-men, and the
boat-boys having volunteered to act as steersmen, with
Frank as leader, all manned the canoes next morning,
and succeeded in reaching my camp in good time
without accident, though one canoe was taken within
200 yards of Round Island Falls, between Isameh's
and Umvilingya's.
At this place Frank a*nd I treated ourselves to a
pig, which we purchased from the chief Umvilingya
for four cloths, we having been more than two weeks
without meat.
On the 10th, having, because of illness, entrusted the
boat to Manwa Sera and Uledi, they managed to get
her jammed between two rocks near the entrance to
Gavubu's Cove, and, as the after-section was sunk for a
time, it appeared that the faithful craft would be lost
here after her long and wonderful journey. Springing
from my bed upon hearing of the threatened calamity,
I mustered twenty active men and hastened to the
scene, and soon, by inspiring e\ ery man to do his best.
Digitized
byG00gl(
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: . ■•".*. e ":. ''i!.-'Us ] ; »' '<. . a'ld iri'i'ii.!.^ tiie
■ ... i::: 'ii^y v 1 1 y t*, e (u wi: "o iji'^ riv.-r
.', * . ''u"!i iouiii*')','; in i 1 c .<, ^^^-> M^t \-]nit '>tc
0 -*• '' i <<■!'::."»-,, K-. W.. i :...•* iui'.^ .^^^t l\'ttl t-) I'-k
^\.^')\\ '!i' y I:i. 'vr wlint !;ty mi iVoiit of tJM'ii!, iiiUMt-'l
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1 .,>*, r. s l;:'\i:.j: Vo III ^"Oi<."l 1<" act I.>- s^''M\<1110' ., ^/i ll
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;"ui s ••"'*Ottli (I il'. It.; '.■'.*!. p_r U\V c/.P p ji! ['*^.' '^^» tiii.r
2{'^) }^:iv^< (/ n >k:i.1 i::-ai'l I'a!:^, ]tiM\;.u LaiiuJ- s
atj'l I'liivilinrya'^.
A^ this \\\C'. I-kr-iik a'lji I Ir^.ucJ o^M\srlvt;^ t^* x\
]'iL', v'i'h ^^■c ]'!"''• is 'd iiMa t! -j f':i t' 1 iiiviii:'.p-va
1 ' r ;:r c' il:-. wo 1 avii:.; Ij^cu ^i*- le. \\^un two w;- k>
{)]\ ilic lOl:1/!.a^'iT!J•. If.-cai -e of ii'i-u.ss, c;)ri-u>.c 1 llie
ll *f> MaTi'va Sor.. -M d L'K ;!•, \l'''y piai ac;T'd to gfl.
'."iH.^1 1 (•! V.' .1 t^^^u rvdvS ii( ar t];'j e.'itir.Mi'e to
• ... . 't^ (x'vc, <.^id, a^' tli-'^ a^'N;r-s.'. . [I'M\ wrs sindc for a
y|»"M\vl iiat tlio f liiiirid craft WMikJ 'ne Ic^st
• * 1 '1 c:" a'id \V' 'iidtj'fiil ioiiniLN'. hM vi^ ^>'ip -
■1 I ; '. I'TMii' ^ cf ihu iMi-ea^.-ned cd mi*; 7,
'- jiity activr iia- I J :mi i ri.st.;:iovi to llu
u 1-v iiHpiii «g tnory iiiaii to do Lis lest.
Digitized
byG00gl(
Digitized
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Digitized
byG00gl(
LADY ALICE BAPID8. 347
we were able to lift her out of her dangerous position, is??,
and take her to camp apparently uninjured. ^^"^ ^\
The lower end of Gavubu*s Cove was reached on the cove?"
11th, and the next day by noon the land party and
canoes were taken safely to the lower end of Gamfwe's
Bay. As our means were rapidly diminishing in this
protracted struggle we maintained against the natural
obstacles to our journey, we could only hope to reach
the sea by resolute and continual industry during every
hour of daylight. I accordingly instructed the canoe-
men to be ready to follow me, as soon as they should
be informed by a messenger that the boat had safely
arrived in camp.
The commencement of **Lady Alice Rapids" was
marked by a broad fall, and an interruption to the
rapidly rushing river by a narrow ridgy islet of great
rocks, which caused the obstructed stream to toss its
waters in lateral waves against the centre, where they
met waves from the right bank, and overlapping form^
a lengthy dyke of foaming water.
Strong cane cables were lashed to the bow and stem,
and three men were detailed to each, while five men
assisted me in the boat. A month's experience of this
kind of work had made us skilful and bold. But the
rapids were more powerful, the river was much more
contracted, and the impediments were greater than
usual. On our right was an upright wall of massive
boulders terminating in a narrow terrace 300 feet high ;
behind the terrace, at a little distance, rose the rude hills
to the height of 1200 feet above the river; above the
hills rolled the table-land. On our left, 400 yards from
the bouldery wall, rose a lengthy and stupendous cliflT
line topped by a broad belt of forest, and at its base
rose three rocky islets, one below another, against which
the river dashed itself, disparting with a roaring surge.
We had scarcely ventured near the top of the rapids
Digitized by VjOOQIC
348 THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1877. when, by a careless slackening of the stern cable, the
April 12. Q^j.j.gjjt swept the boat from the hands of that portion
Ladj Alice - '^. ,. , , r ^^
Rapida. of her crew whose duty it was to lower her carefully
and cautiously down the fall, to the narrow line of ebb-
flood below the rocky projection. Away into the centre
of the angry, foaming, billowy stream the boat darted,
dragging one man into the maddened flood, to whom,
despite our awful position, I was able to lend a hand
and lift into the boat.
" Oars, my boys, and be steady ! Uledi, to the helm I**
were all the instructions I was able to shout, after
which, standing at the bow of the boat, I guided the
coxswain with my hand ; for now, as we rode down-
wards furiously on the crests of the proud waves, the
human voice was weak against the overwhelming
thunder of the angry river. Oars were only useful to
assist the helm, for we were flying at terrific speed past
the series of boulders which strangled the river. Never
did the rocks assume such hardness, such solemn
grimness and bigness, never were they invested with
such terrors and such grandeur of height, as while
we were the cruel sport and prey of the brown-black
waves, which whirled us round like a spinning-top,
swung us aside, almost engulfed us in the rapidly sub-
siding troughs, and then hurled us upon the white,
rageful crests of others. Ah ! with what feelings we
regarded this awful power which the great river had
now developed ! How we cringed under its imperious,
compelling, and irresistible force ! What lightning
retrospects we cast upon our past lives ! How impotent
we felt before it !
** La il Allah, il Allah !*' screamed young Mabruki.
** We are lost ! — yes, we are lost !"
After two miles we were abreast of the bay, or
indentation, at which we had hoped to camp, but the
strong river mocked our efforts to gain it. The flood
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OUB ESCAPE FROM DEATH. 849
was resolved we should taste the bitterness of death. A 1877.
sudden rumbling noise, like the deadened sound of an ^^^^ ^^'
earthquake, caused us to look below, and we saw the lupidi!*
river heaved bodily upward, as though a volcano was
about to belch around us. Up to the summit of this
watery mound we were impelled ; and then, divining
what was about to take place, I shouted out, " Pull,
men, for your lives!" A few frantic strokes drove
us to the lower side of the mound, and before it had
finished subsiding, and had begun its usual fatal circling,
we were precipitated over a small fall, and sweeping
down towards the inlet into which the Nkenke Cataract
tumbled, below the lowest lines of breakers of the
Lady Alice Rapids, Once or twice we were flung
scornfully aside, and spun around contemptuously, as
though we were too insignificant to be wrecked ; then,
availing ourselves of a calm moment, we resumed
our oars, and soon entering the ebb-tide, rowed up
river and reached the sandy beach at the junction of
the Nkenke with the Livingstone. Arriving on shore,
I despatched Uledi and young Shumari to run to meet
the despairing people above, who had long before this
been alarmed by the boat-boys, whose carelessness had
brought about this accident, and by the sympathizing
natives who had seen us, as they reported, sink in the
whirlpools. In about an hour a straggling line of
anxious souls appeared ; and all that love of life and
living things, with the full sense of the worth of living,
returned to my heart, as my faithful followers rushed
up one after another with their exuberant welcome to
life which gushed out of them in gesture, feature, and
voice. And Frank, my amiable and trusty Frank, was
neither last nor least in his professions of love and
sympathy, and gratitude to Him who ha-d saved us from
a watery grave.
The land party then returned with Frank to remove
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350 THROUGH THE DAEK COKTINENTL
1877. the goods to our new camp, and by night my tent was
^^* ^ pitched within a hundred yards of the cataract mouth
bmf. of the Nkenk^. We had four cataracts in view of us :
the great river which emptied itself into the bay-like
expanse from the last line of the Lady Ahce Rapids ;
two miles below, the river fell again, in a foamy line
of waves ; from the tall cliff south of us tumbled a
river 400 feet into the great river; and on our right,
100 yards off, the Nkenke rushed down steeply like
an enormous cascade from the height of 1000 feet.
The noise of the Nkenke torrent resembled the roar
of an express train over an iron bridge ; that of Cataract
River, taking its 400-feet leap from the cliffs, was liko
the rumble of distant thunder ; the " Lady Alice's "
last line of breakers, and its fuming and fretting flanks,
was heard only as the swash of waves against a ship's
prow when driven by a spanking breeze against a cross
sea ; while the cataract below lent its dull boom to swell
the chorus of angry and falling rivers, which filled our
ears with their terrific uproar.-
Very different was this scene of towering cliffs and
lofty mountain walls, which daily discharged the falling
streams from the vast uplands above and buried us
within the deafening chasm, to that glassy flow of the
Livingstone by the black eerie forests of Usongora
Meno and Kasera, and through the upper lands of the
cannibal Wenya, where a single tremulous wave was a
rarity. We now, surrounded by the daily terrors and
hope-killing shocks of these apparently endless cata-
racts, and the loud boom of their baleful fury,
remembered, with regretful hearts, the Sabbath still-
ness and dreamy serenity of those days. Beautiful
was it then to glide among the lazy creeks of the
spicy and palm-growing isles, where the broad-leafed
Amomura vied in greenness with the drooping fronds
of the Phrynium, where the myrrh and bdellium shrubs
Digitized
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" ISLES OF EDENr
351
1877.
exhaled their fragrance side by side with the wild
cassia, where the capsicum with its red-hot berries ^l^^^
rose in embowering masses, and the Ipomoea's purple
buds gemmed with colour the tall stem of some sturdy
tree. Environed by most dismal prospects, for ever
Nkenke
Bay
THE NKENKlfe BIVEB ENTERING THE LIVINGSTONE BELOW THE LADY ALICE
BAPIDS.
dinned by terrific sound, at all points confronted by
the most hopeless outlook, we think that an Eden
which we have left behind, and this a watery hell
wherein we now are.
Though our involuntary descent of the Lady Alice
Digitized
byGoogU
352 TEBOUGH TEE DARK CONTINENT.
1877. Rapids from Gbmfwe's Bay to Nkenk^ River Bay — a
^Kk ^t^^ distance of three miles — occupied us but fifteen minutes,
Baj. it was a work of four days, viz. from the 13th to the
16th inclusive, to lower the canoes by cables. Expe-
rience of the vast force of the flood, and the brittleness
of the rattan cables, had compelled us to fasten eight
cables to each canoe, and to detail five men to each
cable for the passage of the rapids. Yet, with all our
precautions, almost each hour was marked with its
special accident to man or canoe. One canoe, with a
man named Nubi in it, was torn from the hands of
forty men, swept down two miles, and sunk in the great
whirlpool. Nubi clung to his vessel, until taken down
a second time, when he and the canoe were ejected
fifty yards apart, but being an expert swimmer he
regained it in the Nkenk^ basin, and astride of its keel
was circling round with the strong ebb tide, when he
was saved by the dashing Uledi and his young brother
Shumari.
While returning to my labours along the bouldery
heap which lined the narrow terrace opposite the islets,
I observed another canoe, which contained the chief
Wadi Rehani and two of my boat-bearers, Chiwonda
and Muscati, drifting down helplessly near the verge of
some slack water. The three men were confused, and
benumbed with terror at the roar and hissing of the
rapids. Being comparatively close to them, on the edge
of a high crag, I suddenly shot out my voice with the
full power of my lungs, in sharp, quick accents of
command to paddle ashore, and the effect was wonder-
ful. It awoke them like soldiers to the call of duty, and
after five minutes' energetic use of their paddles they
were saved. I have often been struck at the power of
a quick, decisive tone. It appears to have an electric
effect, riding rough-shod over all fears, indecision, and
tremor, and, just as in this instance, 1 had frequently up
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THIEVES AMONGST US. 353
river, when the people were inclined to get panic- ig??.
stricken, or to despair, restored them to a sense of duty ^^^^ ^^'
by affecting the sharp-cutting, steel-like, and imperious *"
tone of voice, which seemed to be as much of a com-
pelling power as powder to a bullet. But it should
be remembered that a too frequent use of it spoils its
effect.
On the 18th we descended from Nkenk^ Bay to a
lengthy indentation behind two islands above Msumbula.
In shooting the rapids one canoe was wrecked, but
fortunately a large canoe which had been lost up river
was recovered by paying a small present to the amiable
Bateke fishermen. At this camp we discovered that
our people were robbing me in the most shameless
manner, and I was indebted for this discovery to Fpank,
whose duty as camp-keeper and leader of the land
party gave him opportunities for detecting the rapid
diminution of our stores. A search was instituted
without warning, and a hundredweight or two of pur-
loined beads and shells were discovered. The boldest
thief, fearing punishment, absconded, and never
returned.
The next day, after Frank had transported the goods
and moved his party to a new camp, we descended
two miles of dangerous rapids and whirlpools, and ou
the 20th I led the way in my boat and proceeded a
distance of four miles, forming camp behind some
small islets, near which the river expanded to a width
of about eight hundred yards. By three in the after-
noon the land party had also arrived. On the 21st
we dropped down, without difficulty, a distance of
two miles, and camped for the first time in Babwende
territory.
Nsangu, a village of the Basess^, was opposite, crown-
ing with its palms and fields a hilly terrace, projected
from the mountain range, at whose richly wooded
VOL. n. — 23
Digitized
byG00gl(
Babwend^.
854 THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1877. slopes or cliffy front, based with a long line of great
April 21. ^Qui^j^i-g ^^3 gjj(5]j jj^y looked from the riffht bank of
the river. The villagers sent a deputation to ns with
palra-wine and a small gift of cassava tubers. Upon
asking them if there were any more cataracts, they
replied that there was only one, and they exaggerated
it so much that the very report struck terror and
dismay into our people. They described it as falling
from a height greater than the position on which their
village was situated, which drew exclamations of
despair from my followers. I, on the other hand,
rather rejoiced at this, as I believed it might be
** Tuckey's Cataract," which seemed to l)e eternally
receding as we advanced. While the Batek^ above
had constantly held out flattering prospects of "only
one more** cataract, I had believed that one to be
Tuckey*8 Cataract, because map-makers have laid down
a great navigable reach of river between Tuckey's
upper cataract and the Yellala Falls — hence our object
in clinging to the river, despite all obstacles, until that
ever-receding cataract was reached.
The distance we had laboured through from the
16th March to the 21st April inclusive, a period of
thirty-seven days, was only 34 miles! Since the
Basesse fishermen, "who ought to know** we said,
declared there was only this tremendous cataract, with
a fall of several hundred feet, below us, we resolved
to persevere until we had passed it.
During the 22nd and 23rd we descended from oppo-
site Nsangu, a distance of five miles, to below Bocky
Island Falls, and during the three following days we
were engaged in the descent of a six-mile stretch, which
enabled ns to approach the "terrific" falls described
by the Basess^ at Nsangu. Arriving at camp with
my canoe party, I instantly took my boat's crew and
explored the ground. The "Falls" are called Inkisi,
Digitized
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TEE INEISI FALLS. 855
or the " Cliarm ** ; they have no clear drop, but the is??,
river, being forced through a chasm only 500 yards '^p'"'^^^^
Wide, is flanked by curling waves of destructive fury,
which meet in the centre, overlap, and strike each other,
while below is an absolute chaos of mad waters, leaping
waves, deep troughs, contending watery ridges, tumbling
and tossing for a distance of two miles. The commence-
ment of this gorge is a lengthy island which seems to
have been a portion or slice of the table-land fallen
flat, as it were, from a height of 1000 feet. More
geologically speaking, it is a mile-long fragment of the
gneissic substructure of the table-land which appears
to have suddenly subsided, retaining its original hori-
zontal stratification. On the sides, however, the
heaps of ruin, thick slabs, and blocks of trap rock, bear
witness to that sudden collapsing from beneath which
undoubtedly formed this chasm.
The natives above Inkisi descended from their breezy
homes on the table-land to visit the strangers. They
were burning to know what we intended to do to ex-
tricate ourselves from the embarrassing position in
which we found ourselves before these falls. I had
already explored the ground personally twice over, and
had planned a dozen ways to get over the tremendous
obstacle. I had also ascended to the table-land to take
a more general view of the situation. Before replying
to their questions, I asked if there was another cataract
below. ** No,'* said they, " at least only a little one,
which you can pass without trouble.'*
" Ah,'^ thought I to myself, ** this great cataract then
must be Tuckey's Cataract, and the ' little one,' I suppose,
was too contemptible an affair to be noticed, or perhaps
it was covered over by high water, for map-makers
have a clear, wide — three miles wide — stream to the
Falls of Yellala. Good ! I will haul my canoes up the
mountain and pass over the table-land, as I must now
Digitized
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356 TEROUGE TEE DARK CONTINENT.
1877. cling to this river to the end, having followed it so
My resolution was soon communicated to my fol-
lowers, who looked perfectly blank at the proposition.
The natives heard me, and, seeing the silence and reluct-
ance of the people, they asked the cause, and I told
them it was because I intended to drag our vessels up
the mountain.
** Dp the mountain ! " they repeated, turning their
eyes towards the towering height, which was shagged
with trees and bristling with crags and hill fragments,
with an unspeakable look of horror. They appeared to
fancy the world was coming to an end, or some un-
natural commotion would take place, for they stared at
me with lengthened faces. Then, without a word, they
climbed the stiflF ascent of 1200 feet, and securing their
black pigs, fowls, or goats in their houses, spread the
report far and wide that the white man intended to fly
his canoes over the mountains.
On the other hand, the amiable Basesse, on the left
table-land across the river, had gathered in hundreds
on the cliflFs overlooking the Inkisi Falls, in expectation
of seeing a catastrophe, which certainly would have
been worth seeing had we been so suicidally inclined as
to venture over the falls in our canoes — for that un-
doubtedly was their idea. It was strange with what
poor wits the aborigines of these new and exhumed
regions credited us. These people believed we should
be guilty of this last freak of madness just as the Wana
Mpungu believed we should blindly stumble into their
game-nets, and the Wy-yanziof Chumbiri believed that,
having been cheated out of 300 dollars' worth of goods,
we should, upon the mere asking, be cheated again.
Indeed, I observe that, wherever I go, savage and
civilized man alike are too apt to despise each other
at first, and that, when finally awakened to some sense
Digitized
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TEE CANOES DRAGGED OVEB TEE MOUNTAIN. 357
of consideration for each other, they proceed to the is:?,
other extreme, and invest one another with more attri-'^P''*f^^®'
hutes than they really possess.
Having decided upon the project, it only remained to
make a road and to begin, but in order to obtain the
assistance of the aborigines, which I was anxious for in
order to relieve my people from much of the fatigue,
the first day all hands were mustered for road-making.
Our numerous axes, which we had purchased in Man-
yema and in Uregga, came into very efficient use now,
for, by night, a bush-strewn path 1500 yards in length
had been constructed.
By 8 A.M. of the 26th our exploring-boat and a small
canoe were on the summit of the table-land at a new
camp we had formed. As the feat was performed with-
out ostentation and, it need not be told, without any
unnatural commotion or event — the pigs had not been
frightened, the fowls had not cackled uneasily, goats
had not disappeared, women had not given birth to
monsters — the native chiefs were in a state of agreeable
wonder and complimentary admiration of our industry
suitable for the commencement of negotiations, and after
an hour's ** talk *' and convivial drinking of palm-wine
they agreed, for a gift of forty cloths, to bring six
hundred men to assist us to haul up the monster canoes
we possessed, two or three of which were of heavy
teak, over 70 feet in length, and weighing over three
tons. A large number of my men were then detailed
to cut rattan canes as a substitute for ropes, and as
many were brittle and easily broken, this involved
frequent delays. Six men under Kacheche were also
despatched overland to a distance of ten miles to
explore the river, and to prepare the natives for our
appearance.
By the evening of the 28th all our vessels were safe
Digitized by
Googl(
358 TnnouQH tee dark continent.
1877. on the highest part of the table-land. Having become
i^^'iF^us. s^*'s^'^^ *^^* ^^ ^^s going well in camp, and that
Manwa Sera and his men were capable of superin-
tending it, with the aid of the natives, I resolved to
take Frank and the boat's crew, women, and children,
and goods of the Expedition, to the frontier of Nzabi,
and establish a camp near the river, at a point where
we should again resume our toil in the deep defile
through which the mighty river stormed along its
winding course.
The Babwende natives were exceeding friendly, even
more so than the amiable Batek^. Gunpowder was
abundant with them, and every male capable of carry-
ing a gun possessed one, often more. JDelft ware and
British crockery were also observed in their hands,
such as plates, mugs, shallow dishes, wash-basins,
galvanized iron spoons, Birmingham cutlery, and other
articles of European manufacture obtained through
the native markets, which are held in an open space
between each district. For example, Nzabi district
holds a market on a Monday, and Babwende from
Zinga, Mowa farther down, and Inkisi, and Basesse,
from across the river attend, as there is a ferry
below Zinga, and articles such as European salt, gun-
powder, guns, cloth, crockery, glass, and iron ware,
of which the currency consists, are bartered for pro-
duce such as ground-nuts, palm-oil, palm-nuts, palm-
wine, cassava bread and tubers, yams, maize, sugar-
cane, beans, native earthenware, onions, lemons,
bananas, guavas, sweet limes, pine-apples, black pigs,
goats, fowls, eggs, ivory, and a few slaves, who are
generally Bateke or Northern Basundi. On Tuesday
the district above Inkisi Falls holds its market, at
which Mowa, Nzabi, and the district above Inkisi
attend. On Wednesday the Umvilingya, Lemba, and
Digitized
byG00gl(
TBADE ALONG TEE LIVINGSTONE. 359
Nsangu districts hold a murket. On Thursday most of 1877.
the Babwende cross the river over to Nsangu, and the r^^J^,
Basess^ have the honour of holding a market on their
own soil. On Friday the market is again held at
Nzabi, and the series runs its course in the same order.
Thus, without trading caravans or commercial expedi-
tions, the aborigines of these districts are well sup-
plied with almost all they require without the trouble
and danger of proceeding to the coast. From district
to district, market to market, and hand to hand,
European fabrics and wares are conveyed along both
sides of the river, and along the paths of traffic,
until finally the districts of Ntarao, Kkunda, and
Nshasa obtain them. These then man their large
canoes and transfer them to Ibaka, Misongo, Chumbiri,
and Bolobo, and purchase ivory, and now and then a
slave, while Ibaka, Misongo, Chumbiri, and Bolobo
transport the European fabrics and wares to Irebu,
Mompurengi, Ubangi, and Ikengo, and Ikengo conveys
them to the fierce Bangala, and the Bangala to the
Marunja, Mpakiwana, Urangi, Rubunga in Nganza,
Gunji, and finally to Upoto — the present ultimate reach
of anything arriving from the west coast. By this mode
of traffic a keg of powder landed at Funta, Ambriz,
Ambrizette, or Kinsembo, requires about five years
to reach the Bangala. The first musket was landed
in Angola in about the latter part of the fifteenth
century, for Diogo Cfto only discovered the mouth of
the Congo in 1485. It has taken 390 years for four
muskets to arrive at Rubunga in Nganza, 965 miles
from Point de Padrtto, where Diogo Cfto erected his
memorial column in honour of the discovery of the
Congo.
We discovered cloth to be so abundant amongst the
Babwende that it was against our conscience to pur-
Digitized
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360 TEROUGE TEE BARK CONTINENT.
1877. chase even a fowl, for naturally the nearer we ap-
Aprii2a. proached civilization cloth became cheaper in valne,
until finally a fowl cost 4 yards of our thick sheeting !
Frank and I therefore lived upon the same provisions
as our people. Our store of sugar had run out in
Uregga, our coffee was finished at Vinya Njara, and at
Inkisi Falls our tea, alas ! alas ! came to an end. To
guard against contingencies — for I thought it possible
that, however desperately we strove to proceed towards
the Western Ocean, we might have been compelled
to return to Nyangw^ — I had left at Nyangwe, in
charge of Abed bin Salem, three tins of tea and a
few other small things. At this juncture, how we
wished for them !
Yet we could have well parted with a large stock of
tea, coffee, and sugar in order to obtain a pair of shoes
apiece. Though I had kept one pair of worn-out
shoes by me, my last new pair had been put on in
the jungles of doleful Uregga, and now six weeks' rough
wear over the gritty iron and clink-stone, trap, and
granite blocks along the river had ground through soles
and uppers, until I began to feel anxious. As for Frank,
he had been wearing sandals made out of my leather
portmanteaus, and slippers out of our gutta-percha pon-
toon ; but climbing over the rocks and rugged steeps
wore them to tatters in such quick succession, that it
was with the utmost difficulty that I was enabled, by
appealing to the pride of the white man, to induce him
to persevere in the manufacture of sandals for his own
use. Frequently, on suddenly arriving in camp from
my wearying labours, I would discover him with naked
feet, and would reprove him for shamelessly exposing
his white feet to the vulgar gaze of the aborigines ! In
Europe this would not be considered indelicate, but in
barbarous Africa the feet should be covered as much as
Digitized
byG00gl(
ULCERB AND ENTOZOA. 861
the body ; for there is a small modicum of superiority is??,
shown even in clothing the feet. Not only on moral ^^^ ^®*
grounds did I urge him to cover his feet, but also for
his own comfort and health; for the great cataract
gorge and table-land above it, besides abounding in
ants, mosquitoes, and vermin, are infested with three
dangerous insects, which prey upon the lower limbs of
man — the " jigga *' from Brazil, the guinea-worm, and
an entozoon, which, depositing its eggs in the muscles,
produces a number of short, fat worms and severe
tumours. I also discovered, from the examples in my
camp, that the least abrasion of the skin was likely, if not
covered, to result in an ulcer. My own person testified
to this, for an injury to the thumb of my left hand,
injured by a fall on the rocks at Gamfwe s, had culmi-
nated in a painful wound, which I daily cauterized;
but though bathed, burned, plastered, and bandaged
twice a day, I had been at this time a suflFerer for over
a month.
At this period we were all extremely liable to disease,
for our system was impoverished. Four of my people
suffered from chronic dysentery and eight from large
and painful ulcers ; the itch disease was rabid — about a
dozen of the men were fearful objects of its virulence,
though they were not incapacitated from duty — and
there were two victims of a low fever which no
medicine seemed to relieve.
In the absence of positive knowledge as to how long we
might be toiling in the cataracts, we were all compelled
to be extremely economical. Goat and pig meat were such
luxuries that we declined to think of them as being pos-
sible with our means ; tea, coffee, sugar, sardines, were
fast receding into the memory-land of past pleasures, and
chickens had reached such prices that they were rare
in our camp. We possessed one ram from far Uregga,
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362 TEBOUGE TEE DARK CONTINENT.
1877. and Mirambo, the black riding-ass — the other two asses
J^^"f.^^had died a few weeks before — but we should have
deserved the name of cannibals had we dared to think
of sacrificing the pets of the camp. Therefore — ^by the
will of the gods — contentment had to be found in boiled
** duflF," or cold cassava bread, ground-nuts, or pea-nuts,
yams, and green bananas. To make such strange food
palatable was an art that we possessed in a higher
degree than our poor comrades. They were supplied
with the same materials as we ourselves, but the pre-
paration was diflferent. My dark followers simply
dried their cassava, and then pounding it made the
meal into porridge. Ground-nuts they threw into the
ashes, and when sufficiently baked ate them like hungry
men.
For me such food was too crude : besides, my stomach,
called to sustain a brain and body strained to the utmost
by responsibilities, required that some civility should
be shown to it. Necessity roused my faculties, and a jaded
stomach goaded my inventive powers to a high pitch.
I called my faithful cook, told him to clean and wash
mortar and pestle for the preparation of a **high art"
dish. Frank approached also to receive instruction, so
that, in my absence, he might remind Marzouk, the
cook, of each particular. First we rinsed in clear cold
brook-water from the ravines some choice cassava or
manioc tops, and these were placed in the water to
be bruised. Marzouk understood this part very well,
and soon pounded them to the consistence of a green
porridge. To this I then added fifty shelled nuts of the
Arachis hypogcea, three small specimens of the Dioscorea
alata boiled and sliced cold, a tablespoonful of oil
extracted from the Arachis hypogcea^ a tablespoonful of
wine of the Elais Guineensisj a little salt, and sufficient
powdered capsicum. This imposing and admirable
Digitized
byG00gl(
AN ABTFUL COMPOUND. 363
mixture was pounded together, fried, and brought I877.
into the tent, along with toasted cassava pudding, hot i^^^j^^jf^j.
and steaming, on the only Delft plate we possessed.
Within a few minutes our breakfast was spread out on
the medicine-chest which served me for a table, and
at once a keen appetite was inspired by the grateful
smell of my artful compound. After invoking a short
blessing, Frank and I rejoiced our souls and stomachs
with the savoury mess, and flattered ourselves that,
though British paupers and Sing-Sing convicts might
fare better perhaps, thankful content crowned our
hermit repast.
Digitized
byG00gl(
8G4 THSOUaS THE DABK CONTINENT,
CHAPTER Xlir.
Glorions timber — Cutting canoes — Frank suffers from ulcers — The
episode of the fetished axe — Eain-gauge readings — The rise of
the river — "Goee-goees" — The Lady Alice breached for the first
time — A painful discovery: Uledi's theft — His trial and release —
The burning of Shakespeare— The bees of Massassa — Local super-
stitions—Frank's cheery character.
1877. Ox the morning of the 29th April, after giving the
^n"*m! °^^^s^^y instructions to Manwa Sera and his brother
chiefs, and obtaining the promise of the Babwende
elders that they would do their utmost to help in
transporting the vessels over the three miles of ground
between Inkisi Falls and Nzabi, I led the caravan,
loaded with the goods, down to a cove at the upper
end of Nzabi. After erecting a rude camp, the more
active men were directed to reascend the table-land
to their duty, and in the afternoon two men were
despatched to the old chief of Nzabi, desiring him to
come and visit me. Meanwhile I explored a thick
forest of tall trees, that flourished to an immense height
along a narrow terrace, and up the steep slopes of
Nzabi. For though cliffs were frequent on the left
side of the river, a steep wooded slope distinguished
the right side, especially along the whole front of
Nzabi. As I wandered about among the gigantic
trees, the thought struck me that, while the working
parties and natives were hauling our vessels a distance
of three miles over the table-land, a new canoe might
Digitized
byG00gl(
QLOEIOUa TIMBER. 865
be built to replace one of the nine which had been is??,
lost ; but in order to obviate any rupture with our new ^^^ ^^'
friends, I resolved to wait until the next day, when the
subject could be broached to the king.
Meanwhile, with Uledi, the coxswain, young Shumari,
his brother, and their cousin Say wa, I went about, tape-
line in hand, surveying the glorious timber, and from
my note-book I take the following particulars, jotted
down during the ramble : —
" Three specimens of cotton-wood. The largest, close
to the cove, measured in girth 13 feet 6 inches;
trunk unbranched for about 60 feet; its cotton used
as tinder by the Babwende. Eight specimens of the
Bassia Parkii — or Shea butter-tree ; bark rough, and
\\ inch thick ; exudes a yellowish-white sticky matter,
which my boat-boys called its ** milk '*: splendid timber,
core dark and very hard; outside wood from two to
three inches deep and whit(;r, easily worked ; largest
measured 12 feet round ; height of unbranched stem,
55 feet: others measured 10, 11*9, 10 and 10^ feet.
Ten specimens of the Ficm Kotschyana — or Aiku, as
Uledi called it; bark half an inch thick; largest,
13 feet in girth. Many specimens of African silver
beech, African ash, wild olive, Zygia sp., or Mkundi —
largest, 24 feet circumferential measurement — acacia,
catechu (?), Grewia sp., Mkuma ; good timber tree, for
small canoes. A glorious Tamarinclus Indicaj with am-
plitude of crown branching far, and dense ; 9 feet round.
Several specimens of RubiaceaB and Sterculiaceas, candle-
berry-tree, the Lophira alata, Balsamodendrons, Lan-
dolphia flaiida (?), an india-rubber-producing creeper
in very large numbers. Proteas, several Loranthacese,
ivory button or nut-trees, wild betel, Anacardium
occiderUakj or cashew-tree, cola-nut-tree, wild mango-
tree, Jatropha curcas (physic-nut tree), Kigelias, several
Acacia Arahicas near the river, within a few feet of the
Digitized
byG00gl(
366 THEOUOE TEE DARK CONTINENT.
1877. cove, and other gums. Euphorbia antiquorum and
April 29. j^ Caput'MedusoB on the craggy ground above the cove.
" Orchids npon humus-covered granite fragments, and
far aloft in the forks of trees, as well as several species
of ferns and aloes, and wild pine-apples upon the rock- '
strewn slopes/'
Though there were a number of large and noble>
trees to choose from, I fixed upon a species of Bur-
seraceae, Boswellia, or gum-frankincense tree, 10 feet
round at the base, and with 40 feet of branchless stem,
which grew about a hundred yards from our camp.
We " blazed '* very many of the largest species with
our hatchets, in order to discover the most suitable
for lightness and softness, with sufficient strength, and
the " ubani,'* or " lubani '* as the Wangwana called
it, was pronounced the best. I discovered that the
largest trees grew on the narrow terrace, which was
from one hundred to two hundred yards wide, and
about forty feet above the river; but this Boswellia
grew about fifty yards above the terrace on the slope ;
from this the slope rose to the height of 1000 feet, at
an angle of 45^, densely covered along its whole length
with magnificent timber.
The next day the chief came. He was a fine genial
old man, bald-headed and jovial-featured ; and would
have made an admirable Uncle Tom. It was not long
before we perfectly understood each other. He gave
me permission to choose any of the largest trees in his
country, and promised to visit me each day while
in the cove. Meanwhile, as an earnest of his friend-
ship, he begged mj^ acceptance of a gourdful of
palm-wine, and some ripe plantains, guavas, and
papaws.
On the 1st May, Uledi, with a cry of " Bismillah ! **
at the first blow, struck his axe into the tree, and two
others chimed in, and in two hours, with a roaring
Digitized
byG00gl(
Nxabi.
LAUNCHING TEE NEW ** STANLEY'' CANOE. 367
crash which made the deep gorge of the river return is??.
a thundering echo, the ubani fell ; but, alas ! it fell ^^^
across a gigantic granite rock, about thirty feet square.
And then began the work of rolling the great tree
by means of enormous levers, with cables of ficus at-
tached to the end, and the suspended weight of fifteen
people, and by noon, to the astonishment of the natives,
it was lengthways along the ground. I measured
out the log, 37 feet 5 inches; depth, 2 feet; breadth,
2 feet 8 inches, and out of this we carved the Stanley
canoe, in place of the unfortunate Stanley which had
been irretrievably lost on the 1st April. In order to
ensure both speed and systematic work, each of the boat's
crew, who were now converted into shipbuilders, was
allotted Z\ feet as his share, with a promise of reward
proportionate to the skill and energy which he dis-
played. It was refreshing to see, during the whole
time he was employed on it, how Uledi swung his
axe like a proficient workman who loved his work.
He never gave a half-hearted stroke, but drove his
axe into the tree with a vigour which was delightful
to regard, eliciting the admiration of the aborigines,
who would stand round us for hours wondering at
the fact that there lived a man who could thus lend
every fibre of his body to mere work, and was an
enthusiast to duty. On the 8th the canoe was finished,
except for a few finishing touches, which were entrusted
to the chief carpenter of the Expedition, Salaam
Allah.
Having yet a few days to spare, we cut another
huge tree down — a teak — to replace the little Jason
that Soudi Turn had lost at Kalulu Falls, which
occupied us until the 16th, with fifteen men employed.
It measured, when completed, 45 feet long, 2 feet
2 inches beam, and 18 inches deep, and was flat-
bottomed, after the model of the Wy-yanzi canoes.
Digitized
byG00gl(
368 THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1877. In the meantime Manwa Sera was Bteadily aJ-
" Ni ^bL*' ^^^^^^S ^^^^ ^^y ^^^^ ^^^ ^ 800 yards, according
to the nature of the ground, and by the evening
of the 15th was in our camp to receive a hearty
meed of praise for the completion of his task. It
was singular, however, how quickly the people
became demoralized the moment I turned away. The
natives brought various complaints of robbery of
fowls and spoliation of cassava gardens against them,
and one, Saburi Rehani, was a prisoner in their
hands, or, in other words, was liable to be sold by
them unless redeemed by me. I spent an entire day
in the negotiation of his freedom, but finally he was
purchased by me for 150 dollars* worth of cloth, which
most wofully diminished my stock. Naturally this
excessive price paid for the release of a thief drew
most energetic threats from me should any crime of this
nature be repeated. But my men had borne them-
selves in the most admirable manner since leaving
XJguha, and, after crossing through a furnace of fire
side by side with me, it would have been unnatural
for me to have judged them very severely. At the
same time the evil-dispositioned were not to be allowed
to sacrifice the lives of their fellows either by slow
hunger or in violent conflicts for their sakes. Frequent
redemptions of thieves from the hands of those they
had spoliated would at this period have ended in
beggary and starvation. It was therefore explained,
for the fiftieth time, that persons arrested by- the
natives while in the act of stealing would be left in
their hands.
During the afternoon of the 16th we embarked the
goods, and the canoe-men, skirting the base of the rocky
line, descended one mile to Nzabi Creek, which prov^
a calm haven, separated from the river by a rugged
line of massive blocks, and after we had entered by the
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' 1 of a
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FRANK SUFFERS FROM ULCERS. 369
narrow entrance we obtained a view of the wide mouth is??.
of a ravine, which was like a deep indentation in the ^^ ^^'
mountain line. From base to summit the table-land was Creek.
wooded, and very many noble bombax and straight-
shafted teaks rose above the grove in this happy and
picturesque mountain fold.
After such a gigantic task as that of hauling the
canoes up 1200 feet of a steep slope, and over three
miles of ground, and then lowering them 1200 feet into
the river again, the people deserved a rest. In the
meantime, as absolute idleness would have been sub-
versive of that energy which had to characterize us
during this period, we set to work cutting down a
teak-tree, and for this job selected forty men, twenty
of whom were allotted to Frank for nightwork, and .
twenty I reserved for a day party. The tree was-
13 feet 3 inches in circumference, and when prostrate
we possessed a clear branchless log 55 feet in length.
It was at this period that Frank began to be troubled
with a small pimple on each foot, and even then he
neglected the advice I persisted in giving him to
protect them from being tainted by the poisonous foetor
which flies extracted from the exposed sores of the
Wangwana. There was one poor fellow in our camp
named Feruzi who was now in the seventh month of •
this virulent disease, and was a frightful object. Both
of his feet were almost in a state of mortification, and
the leg bones were attacked. That part of the camjp
devoted to the victims of this ulcerous disease was
prudently avoided by the natives, many of whom bore
the scars of ancient ulcers. Safeni, my coxswain on
the Victoria Nyanza, and who was also the second in
rank and influence among the chiefs, adopted a very
singular treatment, which I must confess was also
wonderfully successful. This medicine consisted of a
mixture of powder of copper and child's urine painted
VOL. n. — 24
Digitized
byG00gl(
370 TEEOUGE TEE DARK CONTINENT.
1877. over the wound with a feather twice a day, over which
^*y ^^* he placed some fine cotton. In six weeks five patients
Creek. Tccovered completely. The Babwend^ have recourse to
green herb poultices, and some of their medicines were
sold to us for the sick, but I failed to observe any im-
provement. One kind, however, which was the powdered
core of some tree, appeared to have a soothing effect
The old chief of Nzabi informed us, to our astonish-
ment, that five falls were still below us, which he called
Njari Nseto, Njari Kwa Mowa, or river at Mowa,
Njari Zinga, or river opposite Zinga, Njari Mbelo, or
Mbelo's river, and Njari Suki, or Suki*s river, the
Babwende term for river being Njari.
On the 18th five of our axes required to be repaired,
and Kacheclie, who had some days before returned from
his explorations below, and confirmed the news given
to us by Nzabi's chief, was sent above to the table-land
to seek a smithy. As a market-place is like a stock
exchange to the natives of this region, most of the
blacksmiths were absent, and Kacheche had proceeded
for a long distance into the interior, when he came
across a tribe north of Nzabi, armed with bows and
arrows, and who were called Bizu-Nseke. A few
seconds' acquaintance with them sufficed to prove to
Kacheche that he had overstepped the boundaries of the
peaceable, and accordingly he and his fellows fled for
their lives, not unquickened by flying arrows. When
almost in despair of discovering a native mechanic, he
at last came to a forge between Mowa and Nzabi, the
owner of which undertook the job of repairing the axes.
The blacksmith's children were playing about close to
the anvil while he was at work, and it happened that a
piece of glowing hot iron to be welded to an axe flew
off* on being struck and seared a child's breast, where-
upon the father got into a fearful rage and beat the
war-drum, which soon mustered scores of his country-
Digitized
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THE BLACKSMITH AND THE FETISHED AXE. 371
men prepared for battle, but as yet quite ignorant of
the cause. Kacheche, however, was a man of tact,
and, knowing himself innocent, folded his hands, and
appealed to the good-sense of the people. But the
angered father averred that the axe was fetish, and that
as Kacheche had brought the fetished instrument he
was guilty of malevolence, for only the property of an
evilly disposed person could have wrought such hurt to
1877.
May 18
Nzabi
Creek.
THE NEW CANOES, THE ** LIVINGSTONE " AND THE ** STANLEY."
an innocent child. While the argument was at its
height the chief of Nzabi happily appeared on his way
home from Mowa market, and through his influence
the affair was TJompromised by Kacheche promising to
pay fifteen cowries extra to the blacksmith. Hearty
laughing, a convivial drink all round of palm-wine,
hand-shakes, and many terrible stories of fetish wonders
dispelled the little black cloud.
On the 22nd May the magnificent teak canoe
LivinysUme^ perfectly complete, was launched with the
Digitized
byGoogU
372
THROVQE THE DARK CONTINENT.
1877.
May 22.
Kzab!
Creek.
aid of one hundred happy and good-humoured natives,
into the Nzabi Creek, in presence of the Nzabi chief
and his three wives. In order to prove its capacity
we embarked forty-six people, which only brought its
gunwales within six inches of the water. Its measure-
ments were 54 feet in length, 2 feet 4 inches deep, and
3 feet 2 inches wide. With the completion of this third
canoe, our flotilla now consisted of twelve large canoes
and one boat, the whole being of suflScient capacity to
transport the Expedition should we ever be fortunate
enough in arriving at that "Tuckey's Cataract" of
which I was in search.
The rainy days of this season, which began at the
change of the fifth moon, were as follows : —
1877. Feb.
24
Short shower.
1877. April 19
Bain daring night
9i
27
>» 99
99
2')
99 99 »
9t
28
9» 99
99
21
99 99 M
March 2
9* II
9*
23
>♦ 99 9*
>t
6
Severe „
99
25
Severe „
9*
7
99 99
»
26
99 99 99
9*
8
6 hoars.
M
27
99 99 »»
t»
9
4 „
»»
28
»> »9 »
April
3^
From 2 to 6 hours'
May
1
„ „ morning.
9*
4
showers during
the early morn-
ing.
>i
3
all day.
99
6
6
99
4
10
6 hours.
5 „
ft
TJ
99
15
Noon.
99
in
M
16
Afternoon.
99
12
99
17
»»
M
13
14
15
16
Long showers from
9
19
20
Night
99
" the afternoon into
the night
21
It
4 hours, forenoon.
»»
17
*»
18,
Between the 15th November and the 16th January
I recorded thirty-two rainy days, the total rainfall
being of 115 hours' duration. Between the 16th
January and the 24th February no rain fell, but
between the 24th February and the 21st May there
Digitized
byG00gl(
TEE JRISE OF TEE RIVER. 373
was a total of thirty-nine rainy days. This interval
composed the later or gre^ater Masika, or monsoon.
On the 26th April I observed the river begin to
rise, but moving from Inkisi Falls to Nzabi Cove on
April 29, I had better opportunities of testing the
rate of the rise while cutting out my canoe, viz. until
the afternoon of the 16th May.
My notes regarding the rise were as follows : —
1877. April 30
May 1
2
3
4
6
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
10
16
3iDch6a.
8
M
4
»*
4
»»
4i
*$
5
t»
5i
n
8
t»
9
»>
9
t$
9i
tt
10
f$
11
tt
13
fi
13
•»
12
»*
Hi
tt
1877.
May 22.
Nzabi
Creek.
135t «
or 11 feet 3i inches within 17 days.
At Nzabi Creek the registered rise was as follows : —
1877. May 17 10 inches.
„ 18 10 „
„ 19 9 „
„ 20 8i „
..21 7 „
.22 ^ „
50i „ = 4 feet 6i inches.
During these storms of rain, the thunder-claps were
fully as loud as those on the Victoria Nyanza during
the rainy season of 1875, and the lightning fully as
Digitized
byG00gl(
374 THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1877. fierce, being quivering, flaring pennants of flame, ao-
May22. (jQjjripa^jjiQ^ \yj bursting shocks, in, apparently, such
Creek, closc proximitj that we felt frequently half stunned
by the sound, and dazed by the coruscating displays of
the electric flame. The deep chasm in which we were
pent while the season was at its height increased the
sound and re-echoed it from side to side, until each
thunder-clap was protracted like a file-fire of artillery.
Our position at Nzabi Cove was by no means enviable
or desirable, though our experiences did not nearly
realize all that we had anticipated. As we were en-
camped on a low terrace, which was only 30 feet above
the river when we first arrived, we feared that, at a
period when it was rising so rapidly, a sudden increase
of 20 or 30 feet was quite " on the cards,*' from
what we remembered of the sudden creation of rivers
in XJgogo, where a few moments before, dry, sandy
water-courses were alone visible. The increasing fury
of the mighty stream, the deepening roar of the falls,
the formation of new rapids, the booming chorus of a
score of torrents precipitated in leaping columns from
the summit of the opposite cliffs a height of 400 feet
into the river, the continuous rain, the vivid flashes of
lightning, and the loud thunder which crackled and
burst overhead with overwhelming effect, sufficed to
keep alive the anticipation of terrors happily never
realized.
The chief of Nzabi received in return for his fine
trees and the cordial assistance and uniform kindness he
had extended to us, a gift of goods, which exceeded even
his hopes. The people were suflBciently rested after
this agreeable interlude to resume the dangerous pas-
sage of the cataracts, and on the 23rd we made a
movement down to the west end of Nzabi Creek, and
began hauling the canoes over the rocky ridge which
separated us from another small creek lower down.
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" GOEE-aOEES.'* 375
The next day we were also clear of the lower creek, is??,
and descended a mile, by which feat we had succeeded ^*^ ^^'
in getting below the Ns^to Falls. yI\\L
On the 25th, Frank Pocock, being too lame, from his
nlcers, to travel overland, the conduct of the canoe-
party was given to Manwa Sera and Chowpereh, and
the care of the boat to Uledi, the coxswain. Besides
Frank, there were thirteen persons afflicted with
ulcerous sores, dysentery, and general debility ; upon
whom, on account of their utter inability to travel by
land or climb over the rocks, the humourist Baraka
had bestowed, out of his fertile brain, the sobriquet of
Goee-Goee, a term quite untranslatable as regards its
descriptive humour, though " despairing, forlorn, good-
for-nothings" would be a tolerably fair equivalent.
With decent, sober Christian souls the party would
have been distinguished as the ** sick list" ; but Baraka
was not a Christian, but a reckless good-natured gamin,
of Mohammedan tendencies. Turning to Frank, he
said to him, with a broad grin, " Ah, ha ! is our little
master become a Goee-Goee too ? Inshallah ! we shall
all become Goee-Goees now, if our masters get on the
list." Frank laughingly assented, and hobbled to the
boat to take a seat.
I led the active members of the Expedition and the
women and children up the mountain from the lower
Nzabi Creek, and, having well surmounted the table-
land, struck west from Nzabi to Mowa, a distance of
three miles. The plateau was a rolling country, and
extremely picturesque in the populated part which
bordered the river, thickly sprinkled with clusters of
the guinea-palm and plantain groves, undfer which
nestled the elegant huts of the Babwend^. This
palm furnishes the natives with a delicious wine, and
also with a yellow butter, which may be turned into
a good burning oil, an unguent for the body, or
Digitized
byG00gl(
376 THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1877. an oil for stewing their provisions, bananas, yams, or
May 25. pQ^^toes ; or served up with herbs, chicken, and chih'efj,
F^u. for " palm-oil chop" ; or as an excellent sop, when hot,
for their cassava pudding.
At the third mile we turned down a broad and
steep ravine, escorted by scores of gentle and kind
people, and descended to the debouchure of a mountain
brook, which empties into a deep bay- like indentation
below the lower Mowa Falls. As we approached the
bottom the Mowa became visible. It consists of a
ledge of igneous rocks, pumice and ironstone, rising
20 feet or so above the water, and though extending .
nearly three-fourths across, is pierced by various nar-
row clefts, which discharge as many streams into the
bay below. At the left side, between the end of the
ledge and the perpendicular cliffs of iron-tinted rock,
the river contracts, and in mighty waves leaps down
with a terrific, torrent-like rush, whirling pools, and
heaving mounds. From the debouchure of the brook
by which we enter upon the scene to the cliffs
across is about 1800 yards; the ledge of the Mowa
rocks above it extends probably 800 yards, while
the river beyond occupied perhaps 500 yards. The
streams from the £:reat river which falls into the bay
through the gaps of the ledge have a drop of 12 feet ;
the great river itself has no decided fall, but, as already
described, is a mere rush, with the usual tempestuous
scene.
We occupied a beautiful camping-place above the
Mowa, on a long stretch of pure white river sand, under
the shadow of such an upright and high cliff that the
sunshine did not visit us until 9 a.m. I travelled up
over the rocks until I reached a point at the base of which
the Upper Mowa rapids broke out into waves, with
intervals of unruffled glassy slope, and here I stood for
an hour, pondering unspeakable things, as I listened to
Digitized
byG00gl(
FRANK IN CHARGE OF THE " LAD7 ALICE." 377
the moan and plaint of the tortured river. Far away
below me extended the great cleft of the table-land,
of savagely stern aspect, unmarked by aught to relieve
its awful lonely wildness, with mountain lines on the
right and on the left, rising to 1500 feet, and sheer,
for half their height, from unknown depths of water.
The stately ranks of tall trees that had dignified the
1877.
May 25.
Mow^a
Falls.
VILW FKUM THE TAB1.E-LAKD NEAB MOWA
right side of the river at Nzabi up to the summit of the
table-land, are exchanged, from the Mowa down to
Mpakambendi, for clear rock walls of from 300 to
600 feet high, buttressed by a thin line of boulders or
splintered rock slabs of massive size.
One of the boys announced the boat coming. It
soon appeared, Frank standing up in the bow, and Uledi,
as usual, at the helm; but as this was the first time
Frank had played the pioneer over cataracts, I observed
Digitized
byGoogU
378 THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1877. he was a little confused — ^he waved his hand too often,
^'*^^^* and thereby confused the steersman — in consequence
FidiL of which it was guided over the very worst part of the
rapids, and though we signalled with cloth we were
unheeded, and the boat, whose timbers had never been
fractured before, now plunged over a rock, which
crashed a hole 6 inches in diameter in her stem, and
nearly sent Frank headlong over the bow. Natu-
rally there was a moment of excitement, but by dint
of shouting, frantic gestures, and energy on the part
of the crew, the poor wounded boat was brought
towards shore, with her bow in the air and her stern
buried,
" Ah, Frank ! Frank ! Frank !" I cried, " my boat,
my poor boat, after so many thousands of miles, so
many cataracts, to receive such a blow as this, on a
contemptible bit of rapids like the Upper Mowa ! " I
could have wept aloud ; but the leader of an Expedition
lias but little leisure for tears, or sentiment, so I turned
to repair her, and this, with the aid of Frank, I was
enabled to do most effectually in one day.
All the canoes arrived successfully during the 25th
and 26th without accident. On the 27th, after first
ronveying the goods of the Expedition and forming
a new camp, below the Lower and Greater Mowa
Falls, on a projection of terrace extending from the
debouchure of the Mowa Brook, which overhung the
Mowa Cove, we dropped our canoes down along the
bank and through a cleft in the ledge already described,
nnd by 3 p.m. had passed the Great Mowa Falls, and
everybody was safe in camp.
An event occurred this day which I shall never
forget. I would gladly leave it out, but as the
historian of the journey, may not do so. It touches
human nature, and reveals its weakness, despite the
possession of grand and noble, even matchless, qualities.
Digitized
byG00gl(
WEAK HUMAN NATURE \ 379
The incident relates to Uledi, the coxswain of the is??.
Lady Alice, the best soldier, sailor, and artisan, and the ^^ ^^*
most foithful servant, of the Expedition. Up to this yI^
date Uledi had saved thirteen persons from drowning.
Simply because I wished it he had risked his own
life to save the lives of others ; and this heroic obedience,
though it did not really elevate him much above
the other first-class men of the Expedition, such as
Manwa Sera the chief, Safeni the councillor, Wadi
Behani the store-keeper, and Kachech^ the detective,
had endeared him to me above all the rest, Uledi was
not a handsome man ; his face was marred by traces
of the small-pox, and his nostrils were a little too
dilated for beauty ; but " handsome is that handsome
does.'' He was not a tall man ; he was short, and of
compact frame ; but every ounce of his strength he
devoted to my service. I never sought in him for the
fine sentiments which elevate men into heroes; but
the rude man, with his untutored, half-savage nature,
was always at my service. He was a devotee to his
duty, and as such he was ennobled; he was affec-
tionately obedient, as such he was beloved; he had
risked his life many times for creatures who would
never have risked their own for his, as such he was
honoured. Yet — this ennobled, beloved, and honoured
servant — ah ! I regret to speak of him in such terms —
robbed me.
After we had all reached camp, the boy Majwara
came to me in the waning afternoon, and reported that
in the transport of goods from the Upper Mowa camp
a sack of beads had been ripped open, and a considerable
quantity of the beads abstracted.
Beads abstracted ! at such a period, when every bead
is of more value to me than its bulk in gold or gems,
when the lives of so many people depend upon the
strictest economy, when I have punished myself by
Digitized
byG00gl(
Mows.
380 THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1877. the most rigid abstinence from meat in order to feed
tif the people!
" Who was the thief, Majwara ? Speak, and I will
make an example of him."
He was not sure, but he thought it must be Uledi.
** Uledi I not Uledi the coxswain ?"
" Yes,** Majwara replied timidly.
Uledi was called, and while he was kept waiting
Kacheche was called and told in Uledi's presence — while
I watched his face — to seize upon everything belonging
to him and his wife, and to produce everything before
me unopened. Uledi was asked to confess if he pos-
sessed any beads to which he had no right. He replied.
"None." Kacheche was then told to open his mat,
and in the mat were discovered over five pounds of
the fine Sami Sami beads, sufficient for nearly two
days' provisions for the whole Expedition! He was
placed under guard.
At sunset, after the Mowa natives had retired, the
people of the Expeditioni — men, women, and children —
were mustered. I addressed them seriously. For a
long time, I said, both Frank and I had seen it
necessary to exercise the strictest economy, and had
sacrificed for the general good all our rights and
privileges of investing moneys from the general store
towards our own comfort, and had simply considered
ourselves in the light of stewards of the goods for the
public benefit. But it had been obvious to us for some
time that the goods were rapidly diminishing during
their transit from camp to camp over the rocks and
table-land, and we had found it totally impossible to
protect the goods from peculation, or to animate the
people with our own fears that we should be reduced to
starvation long before reaching the sea at the present
rate of consumption. Entreaties we had perceived to be
of no avail. There were some amongst them^ it appeared,
Digitized
byG00gl(
ULEDI ON ma TBIAL. 381
who through greed were resolved to cause everybody is??,
to suffer ; yet if people died through hunger there was ^^ ^^'
not the slightest doubt but that the dying would impute
blame to us for having reduced them to such straits.
To prevent the calamity which would surely follow
absolute poverty, it was our duty to see that some
measures should be adopted to punish those who would
provoke such frightful suffering. A man had been
found that afternoon with a large stock of beads,
which he had filched from the general store — that
man was Uledi. What ought to be done with him ?
After much urging, Manwa Sera, the chief, said that
it was a very hard case, seeing it was Uledi. Had it
been any of the Goee-Goees, men who had for months
been tenderly cared for, who had not toiled from morn
to eve in the cataracts, nor borne the fatigue and toil of
the day ; who had never been distinguished for worth,
but were always a shiftless and cowardly set, he would
have given his vote for drowning him by hanging a
great stone to his neck and pitching him into the river;
but as it happened to be Uledi, he therefore proposed
that he should receive a thorough flogging, to deter
others from repeating the crime. The votes of the
chiefs were in accord with Manwa Sera's, and three-
fourths of the people cried out for " flogging.'*
Then I turned to the boat's crew, and said, " Now
you boys, you who know Uledi so well, and have fol-
lowed him like children through a hundred rough
scenes, speak, what shall be done to him ? **
Mpwapwa, whose duty was to watch the boat in camp,
and who was one of the most reliable and steady men,
replied, " Well, master, it is a hard question. Uledi
is like our elder brother, and to give our voice for
punishing him would be like asking you to punish
ourselves. But the fathers of the people have de-
manded that he shall be beaten, and I am only like a
Digitized by CjOQQIC
382 THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1877. boy among them. Yet, master, for our sakes beat him
^*^ ^^' only just a little, Mpwapwa has said/*
" And you, Marzouk — Uledi's companion on the rock
at the fourth cataract of the Stanley Falls — what do
you say T
** Verily, master, Mpwapwa has spoken what my
tongue would have uttered, yet I would say, remember
it is Uledi."
" And you, Shuraari, who are Uledrs brother, what
punishment shall I mete to this thief who would starve
everybody, you and me ? "
" Ah, dear master, your words are as lead. Spare
him! It is true Uledi has stolen, and he has done
very wrong. He is always stealing, and I have
scolded him often for it. I have never stolen. No
man can accuse me of taking that which did not belong
to me, and I am but a boy, and Uledi is my elder.
But please, master, as the chiefs say he must be flogged ;
give me half of it, and knowing it is for Uledi's sake
I shall not feel it."
" Now, Saywa, you are his cousin, what do you say ?
Ought not Uledi to receive the severest punishment
to prevent others froba stealing ? "
" Will the master give his slave liberty to speak ? '
" Yes, say all that is in your heart, Saywa."
Young Saywa advanced, and kneeling, seized my
feet and embraced them, and then said . —
"The master is wise. All things that happen he
writes in a book. Each day there is something
written. We, black men, know nothing, neither have
we any memory. What we saw yesterday is to-day
forgotten. Yet the master forgets nothing. Perhaps
if the master will look into his books he may see
something in it about Uledi. How Uledi behaved on
Lake Tanganika ; how he rescued Zaidi from the cata-
ract; how he has saved many men whose names I
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THE VERDICT. 383
cannot remember from the river. Bill Alii, Mabruki, is??.
Kom-Kntd, and others ; how he worked harder on the ^*^ ^^'
canoes than any three men ; how he has been the first
to listen to your voice always ; how he has been the
father of the boat-boys, and many other things. With
Uledi, master, the boat-boys are good, and ready;
without him they are nothing. Uledi is Shumari's
brother. If Uledi is bad, Shuraari is good. Uledi
is my cousin. If, as the chiefs say, Uledi should be
punished, Shumari says he will take a half of the
punishment; then give Saywa the other half, and set
Uledi free. Saywa has spoken."
" Very well," I said. " Uledi, by the voice of the
people, is condemned, but as Shumari and Saywa
have promised to take the punishment on themselves
Uledi is set free, and Shumari and Saywa are pardoned."
Uledi, upon being released, advanced and said,
" Master, it was not Uledi who stole. It was the devil
which entered into his heart. Uledi will be good in
future, and if he pleased his master before he will please
his master much more in time to come."
On the 28th the natives appeared in camp by the
hundred, to wonder, and barter, and be amused. Mowa
is divided into two districts, governed by four kings. -
The brook, which empties into the cove, separates the
two districts, which united are not more than eight
square miles. The two principal chiefs are Manwana
and Kintu.* Each vied with the other in supplying
Frank and myself with palm-wine, cassava bread, and
bananas, in the hope, of course, of receiving munificent
gifts in return, for the natives of this region are too
poor to make gratuitous gifts to the Mundele, or mer-
chant, as I was called, who is supposed to be a rich
* It is rather singalar that at such a yast distance from Uganda
I should find the name of the Lost Patriarch, so celebrated in the tra-
ditional history of that country.
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Mowa.
884 TEBOUQE TEE DARK CONTINENT.
1877. man, and who ought by all natural laws to respond
May 2a Uberallj to their gifts. Yet the Babwende are not
illiberal, and my people gave them great credit for
hospitality. They invariably, if any of the Wangwana
passed them during their drinking boufs, proffered a
glassful of their wine and some cassava bread.
The Babwend^ have one peculiarity which is rather
startling at first to a stranger. When, for instance,
they have visited the camp bringing with them small
gifts of wine and bread, and have seated themselves for
a sociable chat, they suddenly begin grinding their
teeth, as though in a mad rage ! After awhile we
discovered that it was only a habit of the Babwende
and the Bakongo.
Many of the Babwende from below Nzabi, as far as
Manyanga, have been once in their lives to the sea, to the
ports of Kinsembo, Kinzau, Mkura, Mkunga, Mbala, and
a few had been to Embomma. They are consequently
amiable, and disposed to be civil to strangers, though
very little is required to stir them to fighting pitch,
and to discharge their heavily loaded guns at strangers
or at one another. The theft of the smallest article, or
a squabble with a native, would be at once resented.
Writing on paper, taking observations, sketching or
taking notes, or the performance of any act new or
curious to them, is sufficient to excite them to hostilities.
On the third day of our stay at Mowa, feeling quite
comfortable amongst the people, on account of their
friendly bearing, I began to write down in my note-book
the terms for articles in order to improve my already
copious vocabulary of native words. I had proceeded
only a few minutes when I observed a strange commo-
tion amongst the people who had been flocking about
me, and presently they ran away. In a short time we
heard war-cries ringing loudly and shrilly over the
table-land. Two hours afterwards, a long line of
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MT NOTE-BOOK PRONOUNCED FETISH. 385
warriors, armed with muskets, were seen descending is??,
the table-land and advancing towards our camj). There ^^ ^^
may have been between five hundred and six hundred
of them. We, on the other hand, had made but few
preparations except such as would justify us replying
to them in the event of the actual commencement of
hostilities. But I had made many firm friends amongst
them, and I firmly believed that I would be able to
avert an open rupture.
When they had assembled at about a hundred yards
in front of our camp, Safeni and I walked up towards
them, and sat down midway. Some half-dozen of the
Mowa people came near, and the shauri began.
" What is the matter, my friends ?'* I asked. " Why
do you come with guns in your hands in such numbers,
as though you were coming to fight ? Fight ! Fight
us, your friends! Tut! this is some great mistake,
surely."
" Mundele," replied one of them, a tall fellow with a
mop-head which reminded me of Mwana Saramba, who
had accompanied me round Lake Victoria — '^our people
saw you yesterday make marks on some tara-tara"
(paper). " This is very bad. Our country will waste,
our goats will die, our bananas will rot, and our women
will dry up. What have we done to you, that you
should wish to kill us ? We have sold you food, and
we have brought you wine, each day. Your people are
allowed to wander where they please, without trouble.
Why is the Mundele so wicked ? We have gathered
together to fight you if you do not burn that tara-
tara now before our eyes. If you burn it we go away,
and shall be friends as heretofore."
I told them to rest there, and left Safeni in their
hands as a pledge that I should return. My tent was
not fifty yards from the spot, but while going towards
VOL. n. — 25
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Mowm.
386 THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1877. it my brain was busy in devising some plan to foil
May 30. ^^^ guperstitious madness. My note-book contained a
vast number of valuable notes ; plans of falls, creeks,
villages, skelclies of localities, ethnological and philo-
logical details, suflBcient to fill two octavo volumes
— everything was of general interest to the public.
I could not sacrifice it to the childish caprice of
savages. As I was rummaging my book box, I came
across a volume of Shakespeare (Chandos edition),
much worn and well thumbed, and which was of the
same size as my field-book ; its cover was similar also,
and it might be passed for the note-book provided that
no one remembered its appearance too well. I took it
to them.
** Is this the tara-tara, friends, that you wish burnt ?**
"Yes, yes, that is it!"
" Well, take it, and burn it or keep it."
'^ M — m. No, no, no. We will not touch it. It is
fetish. You must bum it."
" I ! Well, let it be so. I will do anything to please
my good friends of Mowa."
We walked to the nearest fire. I breathed a regretful
farewell to my genial companion, which during many
weary hours of night had assisted to relieve my mind
when oppressed by almost intolerable woes, and then
gravely consigned the innocent Shakespeare to the
flames, heaping the brush-fuel over it with cere-
monious care.
**Ah-h-h," breathed the poor deluded natives, sighing
their relief. " The Mundele is good — is very good. He
loves his Mowa friends. There is no trouble now,
Mundele'. The Mowa people are not bad." And some-
thing approaching to a cheer was shouted among them,
which terminated the episode of the Burning of
Shakespeare.
The boat had been in a leaky condition ever since
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Mowa.
TEE BEES OF MA88ASSA. 387
she had received the shock at the Upper Mowa, and is??.
her constant portage by the falls of the Livingstone, ^^l^
the constant change from dry heat to wet, had almost
ruined her, yet we persisted in caulking and repairing
her. Some of the natives, observing ray anxiety to
render her water-tight, offered to bring me a sub-
stance which, they said, would be effectual for the
purpose. In. a few hours they had brought me a
mixture of india-rubber and palm-butter. We experi-
mented with it instantly, but it was a very poor
substitute for pitch, and I expressed my dissatisfaction
with it.
Then a nephew of Manwana offered to show his
friend Kacheche something else which would be much
better. Accordingly, the next morning, at 10 a.m. of
the 1st June, Kacheche and the native brought about
thirty pounds of bees-wax, a very dark substance,
which, had it not been for the diminutive bees which
clung to it, might have been mistaken for pitch.
Subsequently I proceeded myself to the source of the
supply, and discovered about a hundredweight of bees-
wax attached to a lofty fragment of rock near Massassa
Falls. These bees are of a dark brown colour, short
and dumpy, about one-half the length of the ordinary
honey-bee. At several places between Massassa and
Mowa there were similar large secretions of wax on
the cliffy rocks.
Another valuable article of commerce besides the
bees-wax and india-rubber found here was the gum
copal — not, however, amongst the possessions of the
natives. We were first attracted to it at Kalulu Falls
by the great quantities discovered between the rocks.
One man collected about fifty pounds of it, under the
impression that he would be able, on reaching the coast,
to sell it for a few pice. Poor fellow ! Ho had but
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388 THBOUQE TEE J)AEK CONTINENT.
1877. little idea of what was in store for him and all of us,
June 1. i^efQi-e we should arrive at the sea. The appearance of
the substance proved that it had been long immersed
in water. My own opinion is that it is fossilized gum
carried down by the Livingstone river. On Cheandoah
Island, a cake 15 lbs. in weight was discovered, besides
many small pieces of two or three pounds* weight,
of the mellow red and pale white variety.
The Babwende are too rich in palm-oil to employ the
gum, frankincense, and myrrh, and the other resins
of the BurseraceoB, as the Waregga and natives of
Karuru do, fur lights. Of india-rubber the Mowa
possess large quantities, as their wooded ravines and
the right slopes of the great river furnish them with
inexhaustible supplies. One enterprising fellow carried
one load of it to sell to the Ba-Zombo, but he received
so little cloth for it that he repented of the speculation.
The commercial enterprise of the Babwende has
never recovered from the effects of the melancholy
termination to a great caravan which they despatched
some years ago. A disease which they say attacked
the bowels broke out among them, and but few
returned to their native land. The Basundi, who live
to the west-north-west of Mowa, seldom venture
near the verge of the Livingstone's chasm, from
which the loud waters send up sometimes an appalling
volume of sound. Should the wind bear the noise of the
falls to their ears while at the zandu^ or market, they
place their hands over their ears and immediately
withdraw, or should they by accident wander near the
river, and from some point observe it, they instantly
^ veil their eyes and hurry away.
One of the first customs obtaining among this tribe
which first attracts the traveller s attention is that of
mourning. The heavily loaded muskets are announcing
their grief at all hours, and a statistician would find it
Digitized by VjOOQIC
Howa.
LOCAL SUPERSTITIONS. 389
an easy matter to ascertain the death-rate of any of mi,
these districts, as well as the sex and age of the ''"°*^
deceased, by reckoning the number of shots fired. Six
announce a child's death, ten that of a woman, and
fifteen that of a man, the fire being directed at the
bananas and palms, in the belief that the death was
either caused by bad bananas or through some fault
in the palm-juice.
In Mowa Cove are kept about a dozen small fishing-
canoes, which are cut out of the soft and light Rubiaceae.
For besides the cane-nets which are towing at the
mouth of the several narrow falls over the Mowa
rock-ledge, each night the Mowa fishermen enter their
canoes with cord nets, and ply about the little cove to
catch the whitebait, which they attract by torch-lights.
Also, like sailing skippers whistling for a breeze, the
natives appear to think that whistling charms the
minnows, and all night long may be heard the peculiar
sounds,
A traveller in tliese regions, where the people are
so superstitious, is liable at any moment to be the
object of popular fury. Aneurism might strike down
a person while trading in his camp, or while standing
carelessly upon a rock he might fall and meet an
instantaneous death ; a disease like cholera or typhus
might attack a settlement, a fatal accident with a gun
cause loss of life, or apoplexy overtake a gormandiz-
ing chief, but everything would be charged to the
malevolent influence of the traveller. Indeed, they
are rather partial to " wars,*' it appears to me. An
accident happened to a Mowa man at the Zinga
Falls, and the Zinga district had at once to muster its
warriors to resist an invasion from Mowa. A Zinga
chief named Ndala owed a Mowa elder twenty-five
cloths, but the credit he had received for one moon he
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890 TEROUQH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1877. extended to two, and at the end of two moons, being
''°°*^* still unable to pay, he was fiercely attacked by the
natives of Mowa.
An exploration of the river as far as the Zinga Falls
— which is two miles below Mowa — made by Manwa
Sera, comforted iis, for he reported that the river
between Mowa and Zinga was not so diflBcult as many
parts we had successfully passed, and that with a little
caution no great danger was to be apprehended. On
the 2nd June I proceeded with him as for as Massassa
Falls, along the summit of the lofty precipices. At
Massassa terminates the comparatively narrow-walled
channel, through which the river tumbles uneasily from
the Mowa Falls and the lower basin down (by the
Massassa Falls) into the Bolo-bolo — "quiet-quiet'* —
basin. On account of the great width of the Mowa
basin, 1800 yards, the river rolls from above through its
500-yards-wide cleft in the ledge, streams along in a
furious billowy course for a mile, and at Massesse seems
to slack its current. Here the river, heaving upward,
discharges a portion of its volume backward along its
flanks, which, sweeping along the base of the Mowa
cliffs, flows upstream until it enters the Mowa Cove.
Then, after darting into the tongue-like cove like a
tidal flow, it quickly subsides, and retreating along
the base of the Mowa ledge, after a circuit of two
miles, meets with the great falls and billowy rapids,
where there is a wild contention between the two
opposing currents. From Massesse the river resumes
its rapid flow downwards, ruffled at projections into
waves, but generally with an apparently calm face,
though circling and gurgling ominously, until, ap-
proaching Massassa Point, one mile below Massess^, it
drives against outstanding boulders, rises into curling
waves on either side which meet in mid-river 200
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Mowa.
FRANK AND EI8 CHEERY 80NQS. 391
yards below: crest strikes crest, wave meets wave, and is??.
mutually overlap and wrestle, then subside, then heave ^^^ ^
aloft again in deep brown surge and sounding tops.
A half-mile length of wild waters roll thus to Bolo-bolo
basin, where they are finally gathered into a tranquil
pool — hence the name.
While standing upon the summit of the high cliff-
walls which encircle the crater-like pool, the frantio
Massassa appears tame. Even wilder Zinga, one
and a half miles below, and Ingulufi below that, are
reduced to mere whitey flakes of water. If we step
down, however, close to them, they become terrible
enough to those purposing to try their terrors in a
canoe.
Half-way to the Zinga Falls from Massassa, in the
middle of the concave cliffs, falls the Edwin Arnold
River, in a long cascade-like descent from the height
of the table-land, with a sheer drop of 300 feet.
While it rolls calmly above, this river has a width
of 60 yards, and an average depth of 3 feet
As usual, Frank Pocock and I spent our evening
together in my tent. The ulcers by which he was
afflicted had by this time become most virulent.
Though he doctored them assiduously, he was unable to
travel about in active superintendence of the men;
yet he was seldom idle. Bead-bags required sewing,
tents patching, and clothes becoming tattered needed
repairing, and while he was at work his fine voice
broke out into song, or some hymn such as he was
accustomed to sing in Rochester Church. Joyous and
light-hearted as a linnet, Frank indulged for ever in
song, and this night the crippled man sang his best,
raising his sweet voice in melody, lightening my heart,
and for the time dispelling my anxieties. In my
troubles his face was my cheer; his English voice
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392 TUROUQE THE DARK CONTINENT.
1877. recalled me to my aims, and out of his brave bold
June 2. \^QQj^ \^Q uttered, in my own language, words of com-
fort to my thirsty ears. Thirty-four months had we
lived together, and hearty throughout had been his
assistance, and true had been his service. The servant
had long ago merged into the companion ; the com-
panion had soon become a friend. At these nightly
chats, when face looked into face, and the true eyes
beamed with friendly warmth, and the kindly voice
replied with animation, many were the airy castles we
built together, and many were the brilliant prospects
we hopefully sketched. Alas ! alas 1
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LEAVING MOWA. 893
Ha
CHAPTER XIV.
t
"I frnitless mourn to him "who cannot hear,
And veep the more because I veep in vain."
Gbat.
Leaving Mowa — The whirling pools of Mowa — The Jason swept over
the falls— The "Little Master" drowned — Too brave I — "Ah,
Uledi, had you but saved him 1" — The sympathy of the savages.
The fatal 3rd of June found us refresLed after our halt I877.
of seven days, and prepared to leave Mowa to proceed to
Zinga, there to estahlish a new camp above its great
cataract, while the canoes should be leisurely taken
down with such caution as circumstances demanded.
Kacheche and Wadi Rehani, the store-keeper, who, in
the absence of Frank, were deputed to look after the
land party, mustered their following at break of day,
which consisted of such invalids as were able to travel
by land, the women and children, and sixty men
carrying the stores, tents, and equipments of the
Expedition.
Meanwhile, it was my duty to endeavour to reach
Zinga — only two miles off by river, while the cir-
cuitous route by land was fully three miles — in
advance of the land party, in order to prepare the
aborigines for the reception of the Expedition. As I
set out from Mowa Cove, Frank crawled on hands and
knees to a rock overlooking the river to watch us
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394 THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1877. depart, and the same feeling attracted Manwa Sera
^"°* ^ and the natives to the spot. Clinging close to the rock-
lined shore, we rowed out of the cove, in full view of
the river and all its terrors. For three-fourths of a
mile to our left the river stormed down with long lines
of brown billows. Arriving at Massesse Point, or the
neck of the walled channel which separates Pocock
Basin below from Mowa Basin, the river relaxed its
downward current, and dischaiged fully a sixth of its
volume to the right, which, flowing against the sharp
edges and projections of the Mowa cliffs, raised many
a line of low waves, and rolling towards us obliged
us to hug the cliffs and take to our cables. But the
base of the cliffs in many places afforded no means
of foothold, and, after a long and patient attempt
at passing those sharp angles, we were compelled
to abandon it and endeavour to breast the strong
current of the eddy with our oars. While, however,
there was a strong current running against the base
of the Mowa cliffs and washing its boulders, there
was also a slope towards the vicinity of the giant
billows discharged from the cataract; and though
we strenuously strove to keep midway between the
cliffs and the torrent-like career of the stream to the
left, it became evident to us that we were perceptibly
approaching it Then a wild thought flashed across
my mind that it would be better to edge along with it
than to contend against the eddy with our heavy, leaky
boat, and we permitted ourselves to be carried near its
vicinity with that intention ; but on nearing the rushing
stream we observed in time that this was madness, for a
line of whirlpools constantly plays between the eddy and
the down stream, caused by the shock of the opposing
currents. The down stream is raised like a ridge, its
crest marked by ever-leaping waves, shedding a great
volume over its flanks, which comes rushing to meet
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TEE WEIBLING FOOLS OF MOWA. 325
that which is ejected by the eddy. The meeting of these 1877.
two forces causes one to overlap the other, and in the ^^^ ^
conflict one advances or recedes continually, and the
battled volumes create vortices, around which are
wheeling bodies of water of great velocity, until the
cavities are filled, when the whole becomes replaced by
watery masses rising like mounds. Every minute in
endless and rapid succession these scenes transpire.
Such a one commenced before our terrified eyes. A
whirlpool had ceased revolving for a brief moment,
and in its place there rose one of those mounds whose
rising volumes and horrid noise inspired the desire
to flee the scene. Fearing we should be unable to
escape, I doffed coat, shoes, and belt, and motioning
to Uledi to keep off, I shouted to the boat's crew to
do their best or die. Even had my actions not been
sufficiently significant of our dangerous position, the
stunning uproar would have informed them that we
had been rash to approach the terrible scene. There-
fore, following the upheaved and ejected waters, we
retreated from the aqueous mound, for iA its sudden
subsidence lay danger, but were halted on the verge of
the fatal pit, which had now begun to replace the
mound, and which angrily yawned behind the stern of
our boat Desperately we rowed, happily maintaining
our position until a second convulsion occurred, by
the efflux of which we finally escaped.
The boat was by this time half full of water. Our
repairs were found to have been utterly insufficient, and
we resolved therefore upon returning to camp to renew
the attempt in the new Jason^ as its swiftness would
enable us to force our way against the current of the
eddy, and reach Massassa. When we returned to Mowa
it was ten o'clock, and the boat-boys were fatigued with
their desperate exertions, and, probably unwilling to risk
the terrors of the river without fortifying themselves,
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Jqm 3.
Hassassa.
896 THROUOH TEE BALK CONTINENT.
1877. had scattered to search for food. But unable to control
my anxiety about the reception of the Expedition by
the Zinga chiefs, I concluded that, in the absence of
Frank, it would be unwise to delay appearing at the
new camp and secure their goodwill while we should
be engaged with the passage of the several falls.
I accordingly delivered my instructions to Manwa
Sera, who had always shown himself a trustworthy
man, saying, " When the boat's crew have returned,
give them that best light canoe — the Jason ; tie ropes
along the sides, with strong cables at each end. Tell
them to keep close to the Mowa side, and pick their
way carefully down river, until they come to Massassa.
On arriving there Uledi will be able to judge whether
it can be passed in a canoe, or whether we shall have
to take the canoes over the rocks. Above all things
tell him to be careful, and not to play with the river."
Turning to Frank, I told him I should hurry to
Zinga, and after arranging with the chiefs would send
him his breakfast and hammock ; and if I found the
men still there I would detail six to carry him ; if the
men were not there he might, upon the arrival of the
hammock, take the first men he saw, and follow me
overland.
It was high noon when I arrived at our new camp,
which was constructed on Zinga Point, about a
hundred feet above the great cataract. There were four
kings present, and hundreds of natives, all curious to view
the Mundele. Though somewhat noisy in their greet-
ings, we were soon on an amicable footing, especially
when a young fellow named Lazala began to ask me
if I were ** Ingiliz, Francees, Dytche, or Portigase."
Lazala further named many seaport towns he had
visited, and discharged his knowledge of the manners
and customs of the whites by the sea with a refreshing
volubility. The great waves along the sea-beach he
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1 iii^':n_ly ^1
:i nil n, ^\•ith ca: -
' "in ci-^v if lov.'M \^ Ai
•^ -y, r-^ t'' 'V :\ >
.. ^' htiy tbo ii;iiurti.' > •
:\viit Lci'.-T'" ai;a^~'i
• ■^' ail ari<.\v, a* i
• '. "s, aiul til',* ^'
-•i ; "■ '^- Milt o\^ si ' i/i,.
i Irat
1 • T
\V:! 11*11;'-.. <
Digitized
byG00gl(
■\r
i
\
V C'^
Digitized
byG00gl(
THE ''JASON'' SWEPT OVER TEE BAPIDS: S97
described in a characteristic manner as beinff " Mputn, 1877.
putu-putu, just like the big waves of Zinga !'* Where- ^"^ ^
upon a fast and sure friendship was soon established,
which was never broken.
At 1 P.M. breakfast was despatched to Frank,
through Majwara, Benni, and Kassim, and men were
sent with a net-hammock.
The Zinga kings and most of their people had
ascended to their homes above, on the plateau ; and in
my camp there were about fourteen able-bodied men,
besides the sick and women. And about three o'clock
I took my seat on a high rock above the falls, to watch
for Uledi, as from the Zinga Point, with a field-glass,
I was enabled to view the river across Bolobolo basin,
both Massassa Falls and Maasess^ Eapids, and nearly
up to the Upper Mowa Falls. I was not long in my
position before I observed something long and dark
rolling and tumbling about in the fierce waves of
Massassa. It was a capsized canoe, and I detected the
forms of several men clinging to it !
I instantly despatched Kachech^, Wadi Eehani, and
ten men, with cane-ropes, to take position in the bight
in Bolobolo, near which I knew, by the direction of the
waves, the current would carry them before sweeping
them down towards Zinga. Meanwhile I watched the
wrecked men as they floated through the basin. I saw
them struggling to right the canoe. I saw them lift
themselves on the keel, and paddling for dear life
towards shore, to avoid the terrible cataract of Zinga.
Finally, as they approached the land, I saw them leap
from the wreck into the river, and swim ashore, and
presently the unfortunate Jason^ which they had but
a moment before abandoned, swept by me with the
speed of an arrow, and over the cataract, into the
great waves, and the soundless depths of whirlpools,
and so away out of sight.
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898 THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1877. Bad news travels fast, Kacheche, breathless with
June 3. Y^^^^Q g^jj^ ]jyj^ ^ijjj horror, announced that out of the
eleven men who had embarked in the canoe at Mowa,
eight only were saved.
** Three are lost ! — and — one of them is the little
master r*
" The little master^ Kacheche ?" I gasped. " Surely
not the little master ?'*
" Yes, he is lost, master !*'
" But how came he in the canoe ?** I asked, turning
to Uledi and his dripping comrades, who had now
come up, and were still brown-faced with their late
terrors. " Speak, Uledi, how came he — a cripple— to
venture into the canoe?'*
In response to many and searching questions I ob-
tained the following account.
As Uledi and his comrades were about to push ofiF,
Frank had crawled up near the river and bade them
stop and place him in. Uledi expostulated with him,
upon the ground that I had not mentioned anything
about taking him, and Manwa Sera, in charge of
the canoes, hurried up and coaxingly tried to persuade
him not to venture, as the river was bad ; but ho
repelled them with all a sick man's impatience, and
compelled the crew to lift him into the canoe. The
Jason, being swift and well-manned, was propelled
against the eddy with ease, and in half an hour it was
racing over the small rapids of Massess^ down river.
As they approached Massassa, which was only a mile
below Massesse, the booming of the cataract made Uledi
anxious not to venture too near, until he had viewed the
falls, and for that purpose, with Frank's permission, he
skirted the intermediate cliffs, until they came to a little
cove just above the Massassa, where the crew held on to
the rocks. Uledi soon climbed upward and proceeded to
the rocks overhanging the fall, where he was enabled
Digitized
byG00gl(
TEE "" LITTLE MASTER"* DROWNED. 399
to View the extent of the danger at a glance. After only is??.
a few minutes' absence he returned to Frank, who was ^^^ ^'
still seated in the bottom of the canoe, and addressing
him said : —
" Little master, it is impossible to shoot the falls,
no canoe or boat can do it and live/'
** Bah ! ** said Frank contemptuously, " did I not see
as we came down a strfp of calm water on the left
which by striking across river we could easily reach ? **
'* But, master, this fall is not directly across river, it
is almost up and down (diagonally) ; the lower part on
the left being much farther than that which is on the
right, and which begins to break close by here. I tell
you.the truth," rejoined Uledi, as Frank shook his head
sceptically, " little master, I have looked at all the fall,
and I can see no way by water ; it will be death to
make the trial."
« Well," said Frank, ** what shall we do ? "
** We must send to the master," replied Uledi, ^* and
tell him that we have brought our canoe to Massassa.
Meantime we can tie up our canoe here until ho
comes."
" And what is to become of me ? " asked Frank.
" We will not be long before we are back with a
kitanda " (hammock), " and you will still reach camp
by night."
" What, carry me about the country like a worthless
Goee-Goee," he replied, " for all the natives to stare at
me? No, indeed! Anyhow, I must wait here all day
without food, eh ?'*
" It will not be long, master ; in a quarter of an hour
I can reach camp, and in another half I can be back,
bringing food and hammock."
*' Oh, it's all mighty fine," replied Frank, his temper
rising at the idea of being carried, which he supposed
would cause him to be made a laughing-stock to e very-
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byG00gl(
M
400 TUROUQH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1877. body. ** I don't believe this fall is as bad as you say it
June 3. -g^ rpj^^ ^^^^^ jg ^^^ ]J|^q ^^^^ ^£ ^^^ £^^^ ^j^j^j^ ^^
have passed, and I feel sure if I went to look at it
myself I would soon find a way/'
** Well, if you doubt me, send Mpwapwa and Shumari
and Marzouk to see, and if they say there is a road
I will try it if you command me,'*
Then Frank despatched two of them to examine,
and after a few moments they returned, saying it was
impassable by water.
Frank laughed bitterly, and said, ** I knew what you
would say. The Wangwana are always cowardly in
the water ; the least little ripple has before this been
magnified into a great wave. If I had only four
white men with me I would soon show you whether
we could pass it or not.'*
Frank referred, no doubt, to his companions on the
Med way or Thames, as by profession he was a barge-
man or a waterman, and being a capital swimmer had
many a time exhibited to the admiring people, espe-
cially at Nzabi Creek, his skill in the art of swimming
and diving. At the death of Kalulu he expressed great
surprise that not one of the five then lost had been
saved, and declared his conviction that Kalulu Falls
would never have drowned him, upon which I had
described a whirlpool to him, and when, with an appa-
rent instinct for the water, he sought occasions to
exhibit his dexterity, I had cautioned him against being
too venturesome, and kept hira to his land duties. The
success of Nubi, who was also a good swimmer, at the
whirlpool of the Lady Alice Rapids, confirmed him in
his idea that a perfect swimmer ran no danger from
them. At this moment he forgot all my caution, and
probably his high spirit had secretly despised it. But
he was also goading brave men to their and his own
destruction. His infirmity manifested itself in ieering
Digitized
byG00gl(
Jane S.
Massassa.
TOO BRAVE \ 401
at the men for whom with me he had not sufficient larr.
adjectives at command to describe their sterling worth ;
for he, as well as I, was well aware of Uledi's daring,
and of his heroic exploit at the Fifth Cataract of the
Stanley Falls he was himself a witness. Poor Frank,
had some good angel but warned me of this scene,
how easily he had been saved !
*' Little master," said the coxswain gravely, stung to
the quick, " neither white men nor black men can go
down this river alive, and I do not think it right that
you should say we are afraid. As for me, I think you
ought to know me better. See ! I hold out both hands,
and all my fingers will not count the number of lives I
have saved on this river. How then can you say,
master, I show fear ? '*
"Well, if you do not, the others do,** retorted
Frank.
" Neither are they nor am I afraid. We believe the
river to be impassable in a canoe. I have only to beckon
to my men, and they will follow me to death — and it is
death to go down this cataract. We are now ready to
hear you command us to go, and we want your promise
that if anything happens, and our master asks, * Why
did you do it ? * that you will bear the blame."
" No, I will not order you. I will have nothing to
do with it. You are the chief in this canoe. If you
like to go — ^go, and I will say you are men, and not
afraid of the water. If not, stay, and I shall know it
is because you are afraid. It appears to me easy
enough, and I can advise you. I don't see what could
happen."
Thus challenging the people to show their mettle,
poor Frank steadily hastened his fate.
Uledi then turned to the crew, and said, " Boys, our
little master is saying that we are afraid of death. 1
know there is death in the cataract, but come, let us
VOL. n. — 26
Digitized
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Maasassa.
402 TEROUQH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1877. show him that black men fear death as little as white
^™^- men. What do you say ? "
**A man can die but once." **Who can contend
with his fate ?" « Our fate is in the hands of God ! •'
were the various answers he received.
" Enough, take your seats," Uledi said.
" You are men ! '* cried Frank, delighted at the idea
of soon reaching camp.
** Bismillah " (" In the name of God '*), " let go the
rocks, and shove oflF! " cried the coxswain.
** Bismillah!" echoed the crew, and they pushed away
from the friendly cove.
In a few seconds they had entered the river ; and,
in obedience to Frank, Uledi steered his craft for
the left side of the river. But it soon became clear
that they could not reach it. There was a greasy
slipperiness about the water that was delusive, and it
was irresistibly bearing them broadside over the falls ;
and observing this, Uledi turned the prow, and boldly
bore down for the centre. Roused from his seat by
the increasing thunder of the fearful waters, Frank
rose to his feet, and looked over the heads of those
in front, and now the full danger of his situation
seemed to burst on him. But too late ! They had
reached the fall, and plunged headlong amid the waves
and spray. The angry waters rose and leaped into their
vessel, spun them round as though on a pivot, and so
down over the curling, dancing, leaping crests, they
were borne, to the whirlpools which yawned below. Ah !
then came the moment of anguish, regret, and terror.
" Hold on to the canoe, my men ; seize a rope, each
one," said he, while tearing his flannel shirt away.
Before he could prepare himself, the canoe was drawn
down into the abyss, and the whirling, flying waters
closed over all. When the vacuum was filled, a great
body of water was belched upwards, and the canoe was
Digitized
byG00gl(
'^AHl ULEDI, HAD TOU BUT SAVED EIMr 403
disgorged into the bright sunlight, with several gasping 1877.
men clinging to it When they had drifted a little ^"^^
distance away from the scene, and had collected their
faculties, they found there were only eight of them alive ;
and, alas for us who were left to bewail his sudden
doom ! there was no white face among them. But
presently, close to them, another commotion, another
heave and belching of waters, and out of them the
insensible form of the ** little master" appeared, and they
heard a loud moan from him. Then Uledi, forgetting his
late escape from the whirling pit, flung out his arms,
and struck gallantly towards him, but another pool
sucked them both in, and the waves closed over them
before he could reach him; and for the second time
the brave coxswain emerged, faint and weary — but
Frank Pocock was seen no more,
** My brave, honest, kindly-natured Frank, have you
left me so? Oh, my long-tried friend, what fatal
rashness ! Ah, Uledi, had you but saved him, I should
have made you a rich man."
" Our fate is in the hands of God, master," replied
he, sadly and wearily.
Various were the opinions ventured upon the cause
which occasioned the loss of such an expert swimmer.
Baraka, with some reason, suggested that Frank's in-
stinctive impulse would have been to swim upward, and
that during his frantic struggle towards the air he
might have struck his head against the canoe. Shumari
was inclined to think that the bandages on his feet
might have impeded him ; while Saywa thought it must
have been his heavy clothes which prevented the full
play of the limbs required in such desperate situation.
AH over Zinga, Mbelo, and Mowa the dismal
tidings spread rapidly. *' The brother of the MundeM
is lost — lost at Massassa," they cried ; and, inspired by
pure sympathy, they descended to Zinga, to hear how
Digitized
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M;
404 THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1877. the fatal accident occurred. Good, kindly Ndala — who
June 3. ^pjjQ accompanied by his wives, and with a true delicacy
of feeling would not permit the natives to throng
about me, but drove them outside the camp, where
they might wonder and gossip without disturbing us —
old Monango, Kapata, and tall, good-natured Itumba,
and a few of the principal men, were alone admitted.
After hearing the facts, Ndala informed me there
was no doubt that it was the " bad fetish *' of Massassa
people, and he proposed that the four kings of Zinga
and the three kings of Mbelo should unite and com-
pletely destroy the Massassa people for their diabolical
act. Said they, " It is not the first time an accident has
happened at Massassa ; for, about two months ago,
one of our men, while standing on the rock, suddenly
fell into the river, and was never seen again ; and one
of Mowa's people has also been lost there in the same
way."
The suggestion that it was the fetish of Massassa
which had caused this sudden and sharp calamity was
natural to the superstitious and awed natives ; but in
a few words I informed them that I blamed no man
for it.
" Say, Mundele," asked Ndala suddenly, " where has
your white brother gone to ? "
"Home."
** Shall you not ^ee him again ? **
** 1 hope to."
" Where ? "
" Above, I hope."
" Ah ! we have heard that the white people by the
sea came from above. Should you see him again, tell
him that Ndala is sorry, and that he is angry with
Massassa for taking him from you. We have heard
from Mowa that he was a good, kind man, and all
Zinga shall mourn for him. Drink the wine of our
Digitized
byG00gl(
Zingm.
TEE SYMPATHY OF THE SAVAGES. 405
palms, Mundele, and forget it. The Zinga palms are is??.
known throughout the lands of the Babwend^, and our ''""^ ^'
markets are thronged with buyers. The Zinga wine
will comfort you, and you will not be troubled with
your sorrow.**
Sympathy, real and pur6 sympathy, was here ofiFered
after their lights, which, though rude, was not unkind.
The large crowds without spoke together in low sub-
dued tones, the women gazed upon me with mild eyes,
and their hands upon their lips, as though sincerely
afiFected by the tragic fate of my companion.
The effect on the Wangwana was different. It had
stupefied them, benumbing their faculties of feeling, of
hope, and of action. From this date began that exhibition
of apathetic sullenness and lack of feeling for themselves,
and for their comrades, which distinguished their after-
life in the cataracts. The slightest illness would cause
them to lean against a rock, or crouch by the fire in
the posture of despair. They never opened their lips
to request help or medicine, and as they were in-
accessible to solicitude for themselves, they had none
to bestow on others. After this fatal day I could
scarcely get a reply to my questions when anxious
to know what their ailments were. Familiarity with
many forms of disease, violent and painful deaths, and
severe accidents had finally deadened, almost obliterated,
that lively fear of death which they had formerly
shown.
As I looked at the empty tent and the dejected, woe-
stricken servants, a choking sensation of unutterable
grief filled me. The sorrow-laden mind fondly re-
called the lost man's inestimable qualities, his extra-
ordinary gentleness, his patient temper, his industry,
cheerfulness, and his tender friendship ; it dwelt upon
the pleasure of his society, his general usefulness, his
piety, and cheerful trust in our success with which he
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byG00gl(
406 THROUGH THE DABK CONTINENT.
1877. had renewed our hope and courage; and each new
J°«»3. yjj^^ tjjg^t j4 remembered only served to intensify
my sorrow for his loss, and to suffuse my heart with
pity and regret, that after the exhibition of so many
admirable qualities and such long faithful service he
should depart this life so abruptly, and without reward.
When curtained about by anxieties, and the gloom
created by the almost insurmountable obstacles we
encountered, his voice had ever made music in my soul.
When grieving for the hapless lives that were lost, he
consoled me. But now my friendly comforter and true-
hearted finend was gone ! Ah, had some one then but
reheved me from my cares, and satisfied me that my
dark followers would see their Zanjian homes again, I
would that day have gladly ended the struggle, and,
crying out, " Who dies eiarliest dies best," have em-
barked in my boat and dropped calmly over the
cataracts into eternity.
The moon rose high above the southern wall of the
chasm. Its white funereal light revealed in ghostly
motion the scene of death to which I owed the
sundering of a long fellowship and a firm-knit unity.
Over the great Zinga Fall I sat for hours upon a warm
boulder, looking up river towards the hateful Massassa,
deluding myself with the vain hope that by some
chance he might have escaped out of the dreadful
whirlpool, picturing the horrible scene which an intense
and morbid imagination called up with such reality,
that I half fancied that the scene was being enacte^l,
while I was helpless to relieve.
How awful sounded the thunders of the many falls
in the silent and calm night ! Between distant Mowa's
torrent-rush, down to Ingulufi below, the Massesse,
Massassa, and Zinga filled the walled channel with
their fury, while the latter, only 30 yards from me,
hissed and tore along with restless plunge and gurgle.
Digitized
byG00gl(
^* «-''««i*,^
FRANCIS JOHN POCOCK,
Drowned June 3, 1877.
Digitized
byGoogU
408 THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1877 and roaring plunged, glistering white, into a sea of
^^";'- billows.
°*^ Alas ! alas ! we never saw Frank more. Vain was
the hope that by some miracle he might have escaped,
for eight days afterwards a native arrived at Zinga
from Kilanga, with the statement that a fisherman,
while skimming Kilanga basin for whitebait, had been
attracted by something gleaming on the water, and,
paddling his canoe towards it, had been horrified to
find it to be the upturned face of a white man I
Digitized
byG00gl(
MUTINY IN THE CAMF. 409
CHAPTER XV.
Mntmy in the camp— Again among the cataracts —Frank's body fonnd
— The fell of the Edwin Arnold Kiver — Tired out I — Wholesale
desertion — More cataracts — " Good-bye, my brother ; nothing can
saye yon T — Bashing blindly on — Sayed again 1 — The Jawn
found.
" June 4. — ^We are all so unnerved with the terrible is??,
accident of yesterday that we are utterly unable to ^"^^
decide what is best to do. We have a horror of
the river now, and being far apart — over eighty
men being at Mowa — ^we are unable to communicate
with each other, for the journey overland to Mowa is
long and fatiguing. The natives of Zinga strongly
sympathize with me, which is a consolation in my
affliVtion.
^^ June 5. — My troubles increase. A messenger
came this morning from Manwa Sera bearing the
terrible news that the people have mutinied and refuse
to work. They say they would prefer hoeing for the
heathen to following me longer, for they say that the
end of all will be death. The Mowa natives have also
infected them with their silly superstitions, by talking
about the Spirits of the Falls, for it appears that the
late catastrophe has elicited a host of legends in con-
nection with Massassa. Had we sacrificed a goat to
the two falls, they say, the accident would never have
occurred ! Though Muslims by profession, my people
are also heathen. But I have not myself recovered
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Zinga.
410 THROUGH THE DABK CONTINENT.
1877. from the shock, and I judge their feelings by my
^^n^ own, therefore it is better they should rest where
they are.
" June 9. — I left Zinga before dawn with Uledi and
the boat's crew, travelling along the river, and took a
closer view of Massassa, and the cove where they had
halted their canoe. Poor, rash Frank! had he only
crawled over the rocks a few' yards he would have
realized the impossibility of safely shooting the Mas-
sassa. The rocky projections, which raise the curling
waves in mid-river, are single blocks from 10 to 40
feet high piled one above another, lying at the base of
a steep cliflF of Massassa. The cliff is of course impass-
able, as it is from three hundred to four hundred feet
high. The colossal size of the blocks is a serious impedi-
ment. The falls we have had enough of, at least for
the present. From Massassa I proceeded to Mowa, and
reasoned with the men. They were extremely de-
pressed, rueful of face, and apparently sunk in despair.
Only Manwa Sera, the chiefe, and boat's crew seemed
alive to the fact that necessity compelled us to move,
before starvation overtook us. They would not be con-
vinced that it was best to struggle on. However,
I would even begin to battle with the falls once more ;
and after a little persuasion I succeeded in inducing
the boat's crew to man one of the canoes, and to take it
to the cove whither they had taken the unfortunate
JasoUj before they had been rash enough to listen
to a sick man's impatience. The feat was successful ;
the canoe was lashed to the rocks and a guard of ten
men set over it. This act seemed to encourage the
Wangwana to believe that there was no danger afler
all aa far, at any rate, as the cove. At sunset I reached
Zinga again, terribly fatigued.
" June 10.— The full story of the sufferings I have
undergone cannot be written, but is locked up in a
Digitized
byG00gl(
Zinga.
FRANK'S BODY FOUND. 411
breast that feels the misery into which I am plunged 1877.
neck-deep. Oh ! Frank, Frank, you are happy, my '^'"** ^^
friend. Nothing can now harrow your mind or fatigue
your body. You are at rest for ever and for ever.
Would that I were also ! While I was absent yesterday
from Zinga, a man lost to all feeling, Saburi Rehani,
proceeded to steal the cassava of the natives, which of
course raised their ir^, and for a period things were
very gloomy this morning. However, a liberal pay-
ment of cloth has quenched the sulkiness of the
Zingaese, and Saburi was punished. I have now
three camps, one at Zinga, one at Massassa, and the
other at Mowa, and I was not able to leave Zinga
before noon because of Saburi's robbery. The boat's
crew took another canoe down to Massassa in the after-
noon, and at 6 p.m. I was obliged to clamber over the
mountains, walk round Pocock Pool, and down to Zinga
again, where I have just arrived, weak, fainting, and
miserable.
" June 11. — The body of Frank was found in
Kilanga basin three days ago by a native fisherman, as
it was floating about, but the horrified man would not
touch it. The body was on its back, the upper part
nude, he having torn his shirt away to swim. It is to
be regretted that the body was thus left to float a dis-
honoured spectacle; and Ndala, king of Zinga, also
grieves that it was not brought ashore for respectful
burial.
^^June 12. — Crossed again to Massassa, and four
more canoes have been brought to the cove, without
accident.
^^ June 13 and 14. — Sick of a fever; but in the
meantime I am gratified to hear that Manwa Sera has
been successful in bringing all the canoes down to
Massassa, and that all the people have finally left Mowa.
** June 16. — At early dawn proceeded up the Zinga
Digitized
byG00gl(
Zinga.
412 THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1877. mountain, skirted the Pocock Pool, crossed the Edwin
^^^* Arnold River, and descended to Mafisassa. A grove
covered the top of the cliff, and the axe-men were
detailed to cut down branches, which those without
axes conveyed to fill the deep pits between the several
colossal blocks. Others were employed in fixing two
rows of piles in the cove, sinking the ends between the
boulders, which, when filled with brush, might enable
us to draw the canoes upward.
** June 18. — The last three days have witnessed some
hard work. To the astonishment of the aborigines,
Massassa Point has been covered from end to end, a
distance of 600 yards, with brushwood, in some places
40 feet thick, and three canoes have been hauled suc-
cessfully past the falls, and dropped into Pocock Basin.
Leaving instructions with Manwa Sera, I manned the
canoes and proceeded to Zinga by water. Mid-way, as
we skirted the base of the lofty cliffs, we came to a
fine fall of the Edwin Arnold River, 300 feet deep. The
cliff-walls are so perpendicular, and the rush of water
so great from the cascades above, that the river
drops on the boulders below fully thirty feet from the
cliffs base.
'^June 19. — The canoes have all, thank Heaven!
passed the dread Massassa, and are safe at Zinga, about
two hundred yards above the Zinga Fall. I ventured
into nearly the middle of the Pocock Pool to-day, about
seven hundred yards below where Frank lost his life,
and sounding 1 obtained 55 fathoms, or 330 feet, of
water ; then rowing steadily towards Edwin Arnold
Fall, it slowly decreased to 35 feet, the lead striking
hard against the submerged rocks.'*
By the 17th I observed that the river had fallen
9 feet since the third of the month, and that the
Massassa was much milder than on the fatal 3rd.
Zinga is, however, just as wild as at first, and it is
Digitized
byG00gl(
TEE FALL OF THE EDWIN ARNOLD RIVER, 413
evident that the channel of the fall is much obstructed
by boulders.
It is worthy of notice that each fall is known by the
natives of the opposing banks under diflFerent names.
'*Zinga " is only employed by the Babwende, who occupy
the table-land on the right side of the river; the
Bassesse, on the left side, call it " Buugu-Bungu."
1877.
June 19.
Zinga.
FALL OF THE EDWIN ABNOLD BIVER INTO THE POCOCK BASIN.
The fish-laws are very strict here. The people descend
to the Zinga Fall each day about 7 a.m., and at the
same time the Bassesse may be seen descending the
opposite mountain, for both sides of the fall have their
respective large boulders, amongst which the full swollen
river rushes impetuously in narrow foamy channels,
where the nets are placed. On the Zinga side, as many
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byGoogU
Zinga.
414 TEROUQE THE DARK CONTINENT.
1877. as thirty nets are placed, but no man may lift a net
June 19. ^jj^jj ^^^ ^f ^^ kings, OF One of their sons, is present,
and the half of the produce is equitably divided among
the kings Ndala, Mpako, and Monango, and each king
has his separate rock on which his share is laid. If the
Zinga folks have had a fortunate find in their nets,
they announce it by a loud shout to the Bassesse on the
opposite side ; and the Bassesse, on successful mornings,
take care to express their luck with equal spirit and
animation. The pike and cat-fish, the silurus, the
water-snake and eel, and the various fish found in
the African lakes and rivers, I find to be common to
the Livingstone also.
Several of the boulders of the Zinga cataract are
covered by a species of Podostomaceae, which while the
river covers them are green and fresh, resembling sea-
weed, and affording the natives a kind of spinach ;
when the river recedes, the weed soon withers and
becomes shrivelled up.
To-day, for the first time, I heard of the Kwango
from a man who has vjsited Embomma, which I
beheve to mean the *' place of the king" in the
language of Babwende, and to be synonymous with
Kwikuru in Unyamwezi, and Kibuga in Uganda.
They point it out as being west. They have a
curious idea in their heads that I must have come
from some place south of the Bakongo country, and
floated down some great body of water ; and, lest their
superstitious heads should find something objectionable
in my coming down the great river, I have been very
reticent.
They call the Livingstone the Bilumbu at Nzabi,
which may be interpreted " day." At Zinga they call
it Mwana Kilunga, the " lord of the ocean.** Mputu,
though signifying sea, also means " the sea along the
coast," most probably the surf. The Babwende term
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Zinga.
TIRED OUT I 415
for ^' river" is Njari.* A constant companion of the 1877.
Babwend6 is the haversack net, made out of the "^"J**^^'
Hyphene pabn fibre, I was reminded, as I looked at
each native bearing this net-pouch with him, of the
traveller's satchel carried by tourists in Europe.
Along the cataracts in the Babwend^ country there
is no game. The noise of gunpowder, more than its
destructiveness, has driven the game into the lands
occupied by the silent-weaponed tribes. But there is
a species of small bush antelope, and the coney, which
is still hunted by the natives with their dogs —
animals of the normal pariah class.
** June 20. — As we began to lay brushwood along
the tracks this morning, by which we are to haul
our canoes from the Pocock Basin past the Zinga point
into the basin below, the people stirred about so
languidly and sullenly that I asked what was the mat-
ter. One fellow, remarkable for nothing but his great
size and strength, turned round and said sharply, * We
are tired, and that's what's the matter,' which opinion
one-third did not hesitate to confirm. Such a spirit
being most serious in these days of scant food and hard
toil — men, like beasts of prey, being governed by the
stomach — I invited the people together to rehearse
their grievances and to describe their wrongs. They
could say nothing, except that they were tired and
were not going to work more. Death was in the river ;
a wearisome repetition of frightful labour waited for
them each day on the rocks; their stomachs were
hungry, they had no strength. Said I, * And I have
none, my friends, I assure you. I am as hungry as any
of you. I could get meat to make me strong, but it
• In the Btinda language a river is Mikoko, which would be spelt by
the Portuguese Micoco. I have a suspicion that there never was a king
called Micoco, that the natives meant Micoco, the great river. Hence the
profound mastery attached to his locality.
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416 THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1877. would be robbing you. I am so tired and sorry that I
June 20. ^^jj]^ jj^ down Smiling and die. My white brother,
^^ who was lost the other day, is far happier than I. If
you all leave me, I am safe, and there is no responsibility
on me. I have my boat, and it is in the river. The
current is swift, the fall is only a few yards off. My
knife can cut the rope, and I shall then go to sleep for
ever. There are the beads ; take them, do what you
will. While you stay with me, I follow this river until
I come to the point where it is known. If you don*t
stay with me, I still will cling to the river, and will
die in it.* I walked away from them. One man,
Safeni, the coxswain at Bumbireh, on being asked by a
disaffected body of men what was best to be done, said,
* Let us pack up and be gone. We shall die anyhow,
whether we stay here or whether we travel.* They
were not long in following his counsel, and filed up
the steep ascent to the table-land, thirty-one in number.
One of the tent-boys came to announce the fact. On
ascertaining that the infection was not general, I then
resolved that they should not endanger their own lives or
the lives of the faithful, and called Kacheche and Manwa
Sera to follow and plead with them. They overtook
them five miles from here, but only received a deter-
mined refusal to return, and persisted in continuing
their journey. Meanwhile the faithful are at work.
'^June 21. — Despatched Kacheche and Manwa Sera
again early this morning to cut off the fugitives,
to inform the chiefs in advance that my people were
not to be permitted to pass them, but, if they persisted
in going beyond them, to lay hands on them and bind
them until I could arrive on the scene. The chiefs
seconded me so well that they beat their war-drum, and
the mock excitement was so great that the mutineers
were halted, and I learn by my two men that they
already regret having left their camp.
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""GOOD-BTE, BROTHER; NOTHING CAN SAVE TOUl"" 417
^^ June 22. — Again Kachech^ and Manwa Sera re- 1877.
turned to the mutineers, who were fifteen miles away ^°"* ^^
from here, and, promising them pardon and complete "*^*'
absolution of the offence, succeeded with the aid of
the friendly chiefs, in inducing them to return, sadder
and wiser men, to resume their duties, and so to enable
me to triumph over these obstacles.
" June 23. — We commenced our work this morn-
ing, assisted by 150 Zinga natives, and by 10 a.m.
had succeeded in drawing three canoes up the 200-feet
steep to the level of the rocky point. The fourth canoe
was the new Livingstone^ which weighed about three
tons. It was already 20 feet out of the water, and we
were quite confident we should be able with 200
men to haul her up. But suddenly the rattan and
Ficua elastica cables snapped, and with the rapidity
of lightning the heavy boat darted down the steep
slopes into the depths. The chief carpenter of the
Expedition, who had superintended its construction,
clung to it under the idea that his single strength was
suflBcient to stay its rapid downward descent, and he
was dragged down into the river, and, unable to swim,
scrambled into the canoe. Uledi sprang after the
carpenter, as the men remembered that he could not
swim, and, reaching the canoe, cried out to him to
jump into the river and he would save him. * Ah, my
brother,* the unfortunate man replied, * I cannot swim.'
* Jump, man, before it is too late ! You are drifting
towards the cataract!' *I am afraid.* * Well then,
good-bye, my brother ; nothing can save you ! ' said
Uledi as he swam ashore, reaching it only 50 feet
above the cataract. A second more and the great
canoe, with Salaam Allah in it, was swept down over
the cataract, and was tossed up and down the huge
waves until finally a whirlpool received it. I reckoned
fifty-four during the time it was under water; then
VOL. II. — 27
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Zinga*
418 THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1877. it rose high and straight out of the depths, the man
^wn«!^ still in it. Again it was sucked down, revolving as it
disappeared, and in a few seconds was ejected a
second time, the man still in it. A third time it was
drawn in, and when it emerged again Salaam Allah had
disappeared. The fleet-footed natives and the boat's
crew had started overland to Mbelo Ferry, and shouted
out the warning cries to the ferrymen, who were at
once on the alert to save the canoe. After riding high
on the crests of the waves of the Ingulufi Rapids, the
Livingstone canoe entered the calmer waters of the
crossing-place, and, in view of all gathered to witness
the scene, wheeled roimd five times over the edge of a
large whirlpool and disappeared for ever! It is
supposed that she was swept against the submerged
rocks beneath, and got jammed; for though there is
a stretch of a mile of quiet water below the pool,
nothing was seen of her up to sunset, five hours after
the catastrophe. Two of the new canoes are thus
lost, and another good man has perished. The Wa-
ngwana take this fatal accident as another indication
of the general doom impending over us. They think
the night of woe approaching, and even now, as I
write, by the camp-fires they are counting up the lost
and dead. Poor people ! Poor me !
" June 24. — We were five hours engaged in hauling
the Glasgow^ our longest canoe, up a hill 200 feet,
with over two hundred men. Of the smaller canoes
we ran up three. It has been my policy to excite the
people, with whatever tends to keep them from brood-
ing over our losses, with wine, drums, and music,
which I purchase liberally, because, though appa-
rently extravagant at such a period, it is really the
most economical.
** I hear of a place called Kakongo below, where the
natives intend to fight me — for the glory of it, it
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RUSHING BLINDLY ON.
419
seems, for so far reports have all been in our favour.
No native has been injured by me wilfully, neither
have I permitted injury to be done them from any of
my people. Strong in my innocence, and assured that
they shall have the first fire, it is a matter of uncon-
cern. If we do not fear terrible Nature in this region,
we certainly shall not step aside for the vaunts or
threats of savages.
1877.
June 24.
Zinga.
THE CHIEF CARPENTKR CABBIED OVER ZINQA FALL.
" June 25. — At dawn ot day we were up and
began to lower the boat and canoes into the basin
below Zinga. By night, thank God, all our flotilla
was beyond the cataract. The Zingaese say there are
only the Ingulufi, Mbelo, and Ntombo Mataka Falls-
three more falls ! — and the last, I hope, will prove to be
' Tuckey's Cataract,' with fair sailing down to the
Yellala Falls ; and then, with bowed heads, we will
travel for the sea as only hungry men can travel.
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Jane 26.
Zinga.
420 THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1877. ^' Jwie 26.— I intrusted to Wadi Rehani and Ka-
cheche the task of taking the goods overland to Mbelo
Falls, while I passed the day at Zinga. A month ago
we descended the Upper Mowa Falls ; it is still in
sight of me, being only three miles oft'. Three miles in
thirty days, and four persons drowned even in this
short distance !
" June 27, — Again I led the way this morning,
round the Zinga basin, and approached the Ingulufi
Rapids, We sought a channel between a few scattered
boulders which stood close to shore and disparted the
ever-vexed river, and having examined the stream,
and finding it to be mere rapids, without those fatal
swirling vortices, dashed over the waves into the
Mbelo basin. Reaching camp, which was at the
top of a 300-foot clifi*, we halted for a hermit's
lunch on bananas, and, wishing to inspire once more
that spirit which was almost quenched by our late
accidents, at 1 p.m. I descended the cliff again by
means of ladders of rattan-cane, which for the last
30 feet enabled us to reach the water-line, and em-
barked. Cautiously we moved along — ^ten men to
the cane-cables at bow and stern — and step by step;
with a prudence born of perfect knowledge of its
dangers, we approached the Mbelo Falls. It was
almost another copy of the Lady Alice Rapids : the
river was just as confined ; rocky islets rose to the left
of us ; the cliffs towered upward, dwarfing us into mere
minute atoms compared to the colossal height of cliffy
front and tree-clad slopes, which ran steep from the
cliffy verge to the level of the table-land. The river
roared as loudly, the white-brown waves were as
menacing, the massive rock-fragments hung toppling
over their bases. As we neared a great rock looming in
front of us in the water, we saw a channel between it
and the shore ; and while our eyes were fixed upon
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Jane 27.
Mbelo.
^ SAVED AGAIN r 421
that narrow thread-like stream, with the dear hope 1877,
that it would enable us to triumph over the difficulty
of Mbelo, the faithless stem-cable parted, the river just
then gave an uneasy heave, which snapped the bow-
cable, and again were we borne, on the crests of the
wild waves, into mid-channel ; rocks, boulders, and
cliflFs flying past us with incredible rapidity. There
were six men in the boat besides myself, and Uledi
was at the helm, calm, cool, and confident. Our
feelings are, however, different to those which filled
us during a similar period of danger. There are
certain voices whispering, * What will be, will be,*
* One cannot escape the inevitable,' and such like, so
that the sense of danger is somewhat blunted. Those
lively fears which once oppressed us we know no more.
Nerve and soul have alike been deadened by oft-seen
woes, oft-felt strokes of misfortune. We have wept
so often we can weep no more: we have suffered so
much we cannot suffer more. Thus the ridgy waves
which pelt us, and their rude strength and giant force,
awe us not. The cliff-walls rising in solemn majesty
up to the zenith, the dark shaggy lines of trees, the
fury of waters, the stern rigidness of the stupendous
heights, we reck not of. * What is to be, will be.* We
are past the Mbelo Falls, and a stream, brown-black
and menacing, enters the main river from behind the
rock islets ; we are whirled round twice by the eddying
pool, precipitated into a dancing, seething, hissing
cauldron, just as if the river was boiling over. A
sharp angular edge of mountain cliff, as though of a
fortress, is past, and away down stream we dart, racing
amid noiso and waves and foam, when the cold grey
cliffs drop sheer down, and finally emerge in Nguru
basin, borne on a slackened current ; and it is then we
sigh, and murmur * Saved again 1 ' With nothing of
triumph, nothing of the flashing glitter of proud eyes,
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422 THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1877. but subdued and grateful, we seek the sandy beach
Sr^* of Kilanga.
^^ " Leaving four men at Kilanga in charge of the
boat, I crossed the little brook that divided the district
of Kilanga from Nguru, and proceeded to meet the
terror-stricken multitude, who could scarcely believe
their eyes when they saw me advancing towards them.
I was like one risen from the dead to them. * Yes, we
shall reach the sea, please Grod ! * said they. ' We
see the hand of God, now. But you must not tempt
the wicked river any more, master. We shall do it
ourselves. Better far that we die than you. You shall
not go to the river again until we are beyond the
falls.* Poor dear souls, they made me forgive them
all. How bitter had my thoughts been lately ; but this
genuine expression of love and devotion healed the
sickened soul, and infused new vigour into it, until I
felt again that old belief that success would finally
reward us."
The above, faithfully transcribed from my note-book,
convey, more truly than any amount of after-written
descriptions, the full sense of the miserable scenes we
endured during that fatal month of June 1877. Four
days after my last narrow escape we succeeded, by
patience, great caution, and laborious toil, in escaping
past the dread Mbelo and reaching Kilanga, happily
without further accident, but not without incident;
for amongst the lower rocks of Nguru basin, left high
and dry by the subsiding river, we discovered the
Jasoriy broken in half, the two portions being about
fifty feet apart; and midway between them was the
almost mummied body of Jumah, the guide, lying on
its face, with its arms outstretched. This Jumah was
one of the two drowned with Francis Pocock on the
fatal 3rd of June, and while Uledi and his comrades
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TEE '* JASON "^ FOUND. 423
were wondering what had become of the two Wa- 1377.
ngwana who had so suddenly sunk out of sisrht, and "^"^^ ^'
endeavouring to right the canoe as they drifted
through the Pocock Basin, he must have been ch'nging
to one of the cables beneath it.
The last day of our stay at Mbelo was marked by
the death of the poor ram, which had accompanied us
ever since we left the cheerless gloom of the TJregga
forests, by a fall from the cliffs.
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124 TlLBOVaH TEE DABK CONTINENT,
CHAPTER XVI.
Final warnings against theft — Humiliating a protectionist — Eindljr
tribes — Five of the Expedition abandoned to slavery for theft —
Safeni goes mad from joy — Goaded to crime — Ali Eiboga*s adven-
tures— The cataract of Isangila — Only five marches from white
faces I — Stannch to the death — Rnm — My appeal to Embomma —
The forlorn hope — The "powerful man" insults us — Struggling
on — "We are saved, thank Godl" — "Enough now; fidl to" —
My letter of thanks — Approaching civilization — Amongst whites —
Boma — The Atlantic Ocean.
1877. Strongly impressed with the knowledge that nothine:
iinzort. "^* ^ persevering, persistent, even impetuous advance
towards the sea could now save us from the pangs of
famine, we only halted two days at Kilanga. Therefore
on the 6th July the goods were transported to a dis-
tance of two miles to Kinzor^, beyond the district Suki,
or " Hair." Having ascertained that no rapids of a dan-
gerous nature, during the quick recession of the flood,
troubled the narrow and tortuous gap, Uledi was di-
rected to lead the canoes past Kinzore and camp to
Mpakambendi, which enabled us to move forward next
morning to join them without delay or accident.
Mpakambendi terminates the narrow, walled chasm
which we had followed since leaving the Klalulu Falls,
and in which we had spent 117 days — ^that is, from
29th March to 6th July. The distance from Mpaka-
mbendi to Ntamo along the course of the river is only
95 geographical miles, and we were 131 days effecting
this journey ! At Mpakambendi the defile through
which the river rushes opens to a greater width, and the
mountains slope away from it with a more rounded con-
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FINAL WARNINGS AGAINST THEFT. 425
tour, and only at intervals do they drop down abrupt in is??,
cliffs. Consequently the river expands, and being less ^"^^^ ^'
tortured by bouldery projections and cliffy narrows, as- mSlidi
sumes somewhat of a milder aspect. This is due to the
change in the character of the rocks. Above, we had
horizontally stratified gneiss and sandstone with an ir-
regular coping of granite masses, and here and there a
protrusion of the darker trappean rocks. Below Mpaka-
mbendi, the river is disturbed by many protruded ledges
of the softer greenish shales, which have been so pounded
and battered by the river that we have merely rapids
without whirlpools and leaping waves to interrupt our
descent. Every other mile or so of the river shows
symptoms of interruption, and its surface is here marked
by thin lines of low waves, and there by foamy stretches.
From Mpakambendi to the rounded mount-shoulder
on which Nsenga is situate stretches about a mile and
a half of calm river, deep and majestic, and a long
strip of land along the right side affords admirable
camping-places or sites for fishing-stations.
The Wangwana still persisted in robbing the natives.
Two were here apprehended by them for stealing the
fowls and maltreating the women, and of course I had
either to redeem them or leave them in the hands of
those whom they had injured. We consented to redeem
them, and paid so largely that it left us nearly beggared
and bankrupt. Again a warning was given to them that
such a course must end in my abandoning them to their
fat^, for they must never expect me to use force to
release them from the hands of the natives, or to adopt
any retaliatory measures on behalf of thieves.
Two poor souls succumbed to life's trials and weari-
ness here — one of them from mortification supervening
on ulcers ; the other of chronic dysentery. This latter
disease worried many of the people, and scant and
poor food had reduced us all to hideous bony frames.
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426 THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1877. The Western Babwend^, fix)m Mpakambendi to the
•'"'^ ®' lands of the Basundi, are wilder in appearance than
iii£!n^ those farther east, and many adopt the mop head, and
bore the lobes of their ears, like the Wasagara and
Wagogo on the east side of the continent. Some
Bakongo and Bazombo natives of Congo and Zombo
were seen here as they were about to set off east for a
short trading trip. It appeared to me on regarding
their large eyes and russet-brown complexions that they
were results of miscegenation, probably descendants of
the old Portuguese and aborigines; at least, such, was
my impression, but if it is an erroneous one, the Ba-
kongo and Bazombo are worthy of particular study for
their good looks and clear brown complexions. They
are of lower stature than the negro Babwend^, Basesse,
and Bateke.
They did not seem to relish the idea of a white
MuTidele in a country which had hitherto been their
market, and they shook their heads most solemnly,
saying that the country was about to be ruined, and
that they had never known a country but was injured
by the presence of a white man. Poor aboriginal con-
servatives ! But where is the white or the black, the
yellow or the red man who does not think himself
happier with his old customs than with new? The
history of mankind proves how strong is the repug-
nance to innovations. I quenched an old growler who
was rapidly beginning to win sympathizers among my
Babwende friends by asking him in their presence
where he obtained his gun.
" From the Mputu " (coast), said he.
** Where did you obtain that fine cloth you wear?''
" From the Mputu."
" And those beads, which certainly make you look
handsome ? "
He smiled. " From the Mputu.**
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HUMILIATING A FROTEOTIONIST. 427
**And that fine brass wire by which you have is??,
succeeded in showing the beauty of your clear brown If^^^'
skin ? mbendi.
He was still more delighted. " From the Mputu ;
we get everything from the Mputu/*
" And wine too ? **
" Yes."
"And rum?'*
"Yes."
" Have the white men been kind to you ? '*
" Ah, yes."
" Now," said I, turning to my Babwend^ friends,
** you see this man has been made happy with a gun,
and cloth, and beads, wire, wine, and rum, and he says
the white men treat him well. Why should not the
Babwend^ be happier by knowing the white men ? Do
you know why he talks so ? He wants to sell those
fine things to the Babwend^ himself, for about double
what he paid for them. Don't you see ? You are wise
men."
The absurd aboriginal protectionist and conservative
lost his influence immediately, and it appeared as though
the Babwende would start a caravan instantly for the
coast. But the immediate result of my commercial talk
with them was an invitation to join them in consuming
a great gourdful of fresh palm-wine.
On the 10th July we embarked the goods, and
descended two miles below Mpakambendi, and reached
the foot of the Nsenga Mount. The next day we
descended in like manner two miles to the lofty
mountain bluff of Nsoroka, being frequently interrupted
by the jagged shaly dykes which rose here and there
above the stream, and caused rapids.
Two miles below Nsoroka we came to Lukalu,
which is a point projecting from the right bank just
above the Mansau Falls and Matunda Rapids, which
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Kakongo.
428 THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1877. we passed by a side-stream without danger on the 13th.
^J^Jl^ Between Matunda Rapids and Mansau Falls, we were
abreast of Kakongo, that warlike district of which we
had heard. But though they crossed the river in great
numbers, the men of Kakongo became fast friends with
us, and I was so successful with them that five men
volunteered to accompany me as far as the "Njali
Ntombo Mataka Falls," of which we had heard as
being absolutely the " hst fall." " Tuckey's Cataract,"
no doubt, I thought, for it was surely time that, if
there was such a fall, it ought to be seen.
Below Matunda Falls, in the district of Ngoyo, are a
still more amiable people than the Upper Babwend^,
wjio share the prevalent taste for boring their ears
and noses. We held a grand market at Ngoyo, at
which bananas, pine-apples, guavas, limes, onions, fish,
cassava bread, ground-nutiS, palm-butter, earthenware
pots, baskets, and nets, were exchanged for cloth,
beads, wire, guns, powder, and crockery.
On the 16th, accompanied by our volunteer guides,
we embarked all hands, and raced down the rapid river
a distance of three miles to the great cataract, which
on the right side is called Ntombo Mataka, and
on the left Ngombi Falls, or Njali Ngombi. On the
right side the fall is about 15 feet, over terraces of
lava and igneous rocks ; on the left it is a swift rush,
as at Mowa, Ntamo, Zinga, Inkisi, with a succession of
leaping waves below it.
There was a large concourse of natives present, and
all were exceedingly well-behaved and gentle. Three
chiefs, after we had camped, advanced and offered their
services, which were at once engaged, and the next
morning 409 natives conveyed the canoes and boat below
the fall in admirable style, though one small canoe was
wrecked. They expressed as much concern about the
accident as though they had been the authors of it, but
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TEE POLITEST PEOPLE IN AFRICA. 429
I paid them even more liberally than I had contracted is??,
for, and the utmost good-feeling prevailed. Indeed, ^"^y^^-
the chiefs were so grateful that they offered to take MatSca.
the canoes themselves a distance of three miles to the
sand-beaches on the right bank opposite Kinzale
Kigwala — and the offer was gladly accepted.
The Ntorabo Mataka people I regarded as the politest
people I had encountered in Africa, and they certainly
distinguished themselves by a nobility of character that
was as rare as it was agreeable.
Arrived at the beautiful camping-place below the
falls, I proceeded in a canoe to a cluster of low rocky
islets, to view the cataract which we had so agreeably
and pleasantly passed, and it struck me at the time
that this was the great cataract described by Tuckey
as being above that " Farthest " which has been printed
on so many, charts. The cataract has a formidable
appearance from the centre of the river as one looks
upward, and during the rainy season the whole of the
rocky dyke is covered with water, which would then
give a direct fall of 20 feet The natives of Ntombo
Mataka were not aware of any more obstructions below
of any importance. About five miles north-north-east
of this point is the large and popular market-place of
Manyanga, where the natives of Ngoyo, Kakongo,
Ntombo Mataka, Ngombi, Ilemba, Kingoma, Kilanga,
Kinzore, Suki, Nguru, Mbelo, Zinga, Mowa, and Nzabi,
up river, meet the natives of Ndunga, Mbu, Bakongo,
and Bassess^.
On 19th July we cautiously descended three miles to
Mpangu, on the right bank. From the slope of the
table-land there is projected a line of lower hills,
tawny with sere and seeding grass, and gently sloping
sides, smooth shores marked by extensive lengths of
sandbanks, and here and there on the lower levels a
cassava garden. But though the river is much wider.
Digitized
byG00gl(
Mpangn.
430 THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1877. the rapids are frequent, rocky projections from the
u!lJi^ schistose rocks on the right breaking the river's
surface, while along the centre sweeps the mighty
stream fiercely and hoarsely.
The schistose dykes which thus interrupt the river
are from a few hundred yards to a mile apart, and
between them, in the intermediate spaces, lie calm
basins. Nor is the left bank free from them, though
all the force of the river has been for ages mainly
directed against it.
We descended on the 20th to Mata river, on both
sides of which the natives were sulky, and disposed to
resent our approach, but no outbreak occurred to mar
our peaceful progress to the sea. They would not, how-
ever, part with food except at extravagant prices. They
are devoted to whitebait or minnow-catching, which
they dry on the rocks for sale in the markets, and
here, all day long, we found them, crouched behind the
shelter of large rocky fragments with their enormous
hand-nets resting close by them, whistling to the
minnows. As soon as the shoal advanced about them,
they swam out in a body forming line with their
nets laid diagonally across in front of them to meet
the shoal; and then, returning to the shore, would
empty their " finds " on a large slab-like rock, amid
boasts, and jests, and rude excitement. At the same
time the canoes would be employed skirmishing in the
deeper portions, and the crews with the handle of
their hand-nets laid under their legs, paddling up and
down with long silent strokes, would thus secure large
hauls.
By a daring rush down river we passed the rapids
of Ungufu-inchi, and, proceeding six miles along low
sandy shores, and alluvial folds between low hills, we
came to the rapids between Kilemba and Rubata, and
were halted abreast of the Rubata Cauldron, near the
Digitized by VjOOQ IC
WE ABANDON A THIEF TO SLAVERY. 451
village of Kibonda, which occupies the summit of a is??,
bluff opposite Elwala river on the left bank. ^""^^ ^^
The natives here are given up to the cultivation of
ground-nuts and cassava, and minnow-catching. Food
was therefore so scarce, and so unsuitable for the preser-
vation of working men's strength, that our sick-list
was alarmingly increased. The Basundi are a most
wretched, suspicious, and degraded race, quarrelsome,
and intensely disposed to be affronted. I was unable
to purchase anything more than a few ground-nuts,
because it involved such serious controversy and chaffer
as sickened the hungry stomach. The Wangwana were
surprised, after their recent experiences, to meet people
more extortionate than any they had yet seen, and
who abated nothing of the high demands they made.
One of them, unable to obtain food, proceeded to the
cassava gardens and coolly began to dig up a large
stock of tubers, and when warned off behaved very
violently. The natives, indisposed to brook this, closed
round him, and, binding him hand and foot, carried him
to their village.
On hearing of it I despatched men to ascertain the
truth, and they brought the chief and some of his
elders to camp to obtain the price of his freedom.
Unfortunately the price was so large — ^being four times
the total value of all our store — that, despite all our
attempts to induce them to lower their demands, we
saw tiiat the captive was doomed. One of my chiefs
suggested that we should lay hands on the chief of
Kibonda, and retain him until Hamadi, the captive, was
released; but this suggestion I positively refused to
entertain for one moment. We were too poor to buy
his freedom, and it would have been an injustice to
employ violence. He was therefore left in captivity.
1 hoped this would have stopped the Wangwana from
venturing to appropriate the property of such deter-
Digitized
byG00gl(
432 THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1877. Inin^d aborigines ; but on the 24th, after descending 3^
Jniy 24. jjjii^g tQ Kalubu, another man was arrested for theft
of fowls and* cloth. The case was submitted to the
captains and members of the Expedition, and it was
explained to them, that if the man's liberty could be
purchased, half of the goods were at their disposal ;
but that if they determined to fight for his release,
they must give me warning, so that I might move
down river with those who preferred to be guided by
me. The captains unanimously condemned him to
captivity, and their decision was gravely delivered
in presence of all.
Just above Kalubu, on the right side of the river, a
lofty reddish cliflF stands, which, upon examination,
presents many traces of igneous eruptions. From the
elbow below it are visible the remains of an old
cataract, and lava is so abundant that it gives quite a
volcanic appearance to the scene. A lofty ridge south of
Kalubu strikes towards the north-north-east, and formed
a notable feature as we descended from Mata river.
Four miles farther down brought us, on the 25th, to
a little cove above Itunzima Falls, where was another
furious display of the river, and a most dangerous
cataract. Crossing over to the left bank, we succeeded
next day in passing it, after a laborious toil of eight
hours, and camped in a beautiful bend below.
At this camp we first met natives who were acquainted
with the name Yellala, but they informed us that there
were several great rapids below Itunzima, upon which
1 finally abandoned the search for " Tuckey's Cataract,"
and instead of it strove to ascertain if any were
acquainted with the name of "Sangalla.'* None of
them had ever heard of it ; but they knew " Isangila,**
which we were informed was about five days' journey
by water ; but that no native journeyed by river, it
being too dangerous.
Digitized
byG00gl(
8AFJSNI GOES MAD FROM JOY. 433
The Wangwana, weakened by scant fare and suffering i877.
from pininff vitals, were intensely affected when I /"^^ ^^•
IT T n n t Itunzima.
announced to them that we were not far from the sea.
Indeed one poor fellow — distinguished in the first
volume as the coxswain of the Ladt/ Alice during the
adventurous circumnavigation of Lake Victoria — ^was
so intoxicated with joy that he became outrageous in
his behaviour. Still I did not suspect that this was
madness, and when he advanced to me and embraced
my feet, saying, " Ah, master ! El hamd ul Illah ! We
have reached the sea! We are home! we are home!
We shall no more be tormented by empty stomachs and
accursed savages ! I am about to run all the way to
the sea, to tell your brothers you are coming !" the idea
of his lunacy was far from my mind. I attributed his
tears and wildness simply to excess of emotion and
nervous excit.ement. I replied to him soothingly; but
he seizing his parrot and placing it on his shoulder,
plunged into the woods. After a few seconds' reflec-
tion, it occurred to me that the man was a lunatic,
and I sent three men instantly to bring him back, and
to recover him by force if necessary ; but after four
hours' search they returned unsuccessful, and I never
saw the sage Safeni more. We probably might have
been able to recover him after several days' search; but
valuable as he had been, and dear as he was, death by
starvation threatened us all, and we were compelled to
haste — haste away from the baleful region to kinder
lands.
On the 26th July I obtained by observation south
latitude 5° 9'.
From the bend below Itunzima Falls we had a straight
stretch of four miles, on a river which recalled to our
minds reminiscences of the quiet-flowing stream below
Chumbiri. Clinging to the left, we had a glorious
grey sandbank, backed by growths of wild olive and a
VOL. n. — 28
Digitized
byG00gl(
434 THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1877. narrow belt of forest trees, in whicli the tracks of game
July 27. ^^j,^ numerous. The right bank was similar, and
dome-like hills rose conspicuous in a deep fold of the
retreating table-land.
We reached at the end of this course, on the left
bank, a small quiet river, 30 yards wide at the mouth,
entering the Livingstone between steep alluvial banks
about 20 feet high. The table-land had approached
the river again, and formed a high point opposite the
place where the little river debouched, and, directly
below it, roared and thundered another cataract. A large
island rose, high, rocky, and steep, from the centre. To
the right it was utterly impassable ; but after examining
the rapids on the left, and discovering that the main
force of the stream was on the other side, we raced
down the waters with all hands on board without
accident.
On the 28th we began our journey early, and dis-
covered that the river was still much obstructed, rapids
roaring at every short distance, and requiring caution
and vigilance. By noon however we had passed four
series without trouble. Above the islet line above
Kilolo I found we had reached south latitude 6° 19'.
There are but few natures among my own race,
either in Europe or America, who would not feel a
curious pleasure in, and envy me the opportunity of,
exploring the beautiful and endless sohtudes of this
region, were they but certain that they would be sustained
the while by nourishing food, and be secure from fatal
harm. For in all civilized countries that I have
travelled in, I have observed how very large a number
of people indulge this penchant for travel in such
unfrequented corners and nooks of wild woodland,
glen, or heath as present themselves near home. 1
myself was conscious that the table-land on botli sides of
the Livingstone, with its lofty ridges, which ran away
Digitized
byG00gl(
GOADED TO CRIME. 435
north or south to some complicated watershed, enclosing, 1877.
no doubt, some awesome glens and solemn ravines, or ^"^J,^^
from whose tops I might gaze upon a world of wild
beauty never seen before, presented to me opportunities
of exploring such as few had ever possessed; but,
alas ! all things were adverse to such pleasure ; we
were, to use a Miltonian phrase, subject to the " hateful
siege of contraries/* The freshness and ardour of
feeling with which I had set out from the Indian
Ocean had, by this time, been quite worn away. Fevers
had sapped the frame ; over-much trouble had strained
the spirit; hunger had debilitated the body, anxiety
preyed upon the mind. My people were groaning
aloud ; their sunken eyes and unfleshed bodies were a
living reproach to me; their vigour was now gone,
though their fidelity was unquestionable ; their knees
were bent with weakness, and their backs were no longer
rigid with the vigour of youth, and life, and strength,
and fire of devotion. Hollow-eyed, sallow, and gaunt,
unspeakably miserable in aspect, we yielded at length
to imperious nature, and had but one thought only —
to trudge on for one look more at the blue ocean.
Rounding, after a long stretch of tolerably calm
water, a picturesque point, we view another long
reach, and half-way on the left bank we camp.
Maddened by sharp pangs of hunger, the people soon
scatter about the district of Kilolo. What occurs I
know not. Likely enough the wretched creatures,
tormented by the insufferable insolence of the abori-
gines, and goaded by a gnawing emptiness, assisted
themselves with the wanton recklessness of necessity,
and appropriated food unpaid for. While I am seated
among a crowd from the right batnk, who have come
across the river to elate me with stories of white men
whom they have seen by the sea, and from whom I
learn the news that there are whites like myself at
Digitized
byG00gl(
436
THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
Kilolo.
1877. Embomma, I hear shots on the cultivated uplands;
^^Ly^ and though I pretend to take no interest in them,
yet a bitter, restless instinct informs me that those
shots have reference to myself; and presently the
people return, some with streaming wounds from oxide
of copper pellets and iron fragments which have been
fired at them. IJledi comes also, bearing a mere
skeleton on his back, whom, with his usual daring, he
— rf^^-i-'.L'-
CAMP AT KILOLO.
has rescued from the power of the men who would
shortly have made a prisoner of him ; and he and the
rest have all a horrible tale to tell. ** Several men
have been captured by the natives for stealing cassava
and beans."
" Why did you do it ?"
" We could not help it," said one. " Master, we
are dying of hunger. We left our beads and moneys —
all we had — on the ground, and began to eat, and
they began shooting."
Digitized
byGoogU
ALI KIBOQA'8 ADVENTURES. 437
In a very short time, while they are yet speaking, 1877.
a large force of natives appears, lusty with life and -^^^y^s.
hearty fare, and, being angered, dare ns, with loaded
guns, to fight them. A few of the men and chiefs
hasten to their guns, and propose to assume the defen-
sive, but I restrain them, and send my native friends
from the right bank to talk to them ; and, after two
hours' patient entreaties, they relax their vindictiveness
and retire.
When I muster the people next morning, that we
may cross the river to Nsuki Kintomba, I discover
that six men have been wounded, and three, Ali
Kiboga,* Matagera, and Saburi Rehani, have been
detained by the infuriated villagers. It would have
been merely half an hour s quick work, not only to
have released the three captives, but to have obtained
such an abundance of food as to^have saved us much
subsequent misery, but such an act would have been
quite contrary to the principles which had governed
and guided the Expedition in its travels from the
* Some two or three months after we had left Loanda, Ali Eiboga
escaped from his captivity, and after a desperate journey, during which
he must haye gone through marvellous adventures, succeeded in reaching
Boma, whence he was sent to Eahinda, thence hy the Portuguese gun-
boat Tamega to San Paulo de Loanda. After a short stay at Loanda, the
United States corvette Essex, Captain Schley, took him to Saint Helena,
and thence, through the kindness of the captain of one of Donald Currie's
Gape Line steamers, he was carried gratuitously to Gape Town. Again
the Samaritan act of assisting the needy and distressed stranger was per-
formed by the agent of the Union Steamship Company's line, who placed
him on board the Kaffir^ which was bound for Zanzibar. It is well
known that soon after leaving Table Bay the Kaffir was wrecked. From
the Cape Times, February 19, 1878, I clip the following, in spite of its
compliment to myself: "On the bow were some natives of Zanzibar.
Among them was the man who had gone through Africa with Stanley.
This man was supposed to have been drowned with four others. But
early in the morning he was found very snugly lying under a tent made
of a blanket, with a roaring fire before him. Of all the wrecked people
that night there was no one who had been more comfortable than Stanley's
Arab. The power of resource and the genius of the master had evidently
been imparted in some degree to the man."
Digitized
byG00gl(
438 THROUGH THE DABK CONTINENT.
1877. eastern sea. Protection was only to be given against a
^N^kf "^^^^^^ assault on the camp and its occupants; arms
Kintomu. wcre Only to be employed to resist savagery ; and
though, upon considering the circumstances, few could
blame the hungry people from appropriating food, yet
we had but sympathy to give them in their distress.
Sad and sorrowful, we turned away from them, aban-
doning them to their dismal fate.
The river between Kilolo and Nsuki Eantomba was
about fourteen hundred yards wide, and both banks
were characterized by calm little bays, formed by
projected reefs of schistose rock. Just above Nsuki
Kintomba a range of mountains runs north-west from
some lofty conical hills which front the stream. Below
a pretty cove, overhung by a white chalky cliff, in the
centre of which there stood a tree-covered islet, we
occupied a camp near a high and broad tract of pure
white sand.
The inhabitants of the settlement on the right side
were unfriendly and they had little, save ground-nuts
and cassava, to sell. Whether embittered by the
sterility of their country, or suffering from some
wrongs perpetrated by tribes near Boma, they did not
regard our advent to their country with kindly eyes
by any means. Indeed, since leaving Ntombo Mataka
we had observed a growing degradation of the
aborigines, who were vastly inferior in manners and
physical type to the Babwend^. They talked " largely,"
but we had been accustomed to that, and our sense
of self-respect had long ago become 'deadened. We
obtained a little food — a supply of ground-nuts and
bitter cassava ; otherwise we must have died.
^ On the 30th July we continued our journey along the
right bank. We first passed several serrated schistose
reefs of sand ; and behind these we saw a deep creek-
like cove— no doubt the Covinda Cove of Tuckey.
Digitized
byG00gl(
THE CATABACT OF I8AN0ILA. 439
Observing at Rock Bluffs Point that the river was i877.
ruflfled by rocks, we struck again to the left bank, ^^^y^^-
and, following the grove-clad bend, we saw a fine biuVs
reach of river extending north-west by north, with a ^"^^^
breadth of about eighteen hundred yards. Again we
crossed the river to the right bank, and a mile from
Rock BluflFs Point came to some rapids which extended
across the river. We passed these easily, however,
and continued on our journey under the shelter of
brown stone bluffs, from fifty to eighty feet high.
On the left side of the river I observed a line of
rock-islets close to the shore. At the end of this
long reach was a deep bend in the right bank,
through which a lazy creek oozed slowly into the
Livingstone. From this bend the great river ran
south-south-west, and the roar of a great cataract two
miles below became fearfully audible, and up from it
light clouds of mist, and now and then spray showers,
were thrown high into view. Towering above it, on
the left, was the precipitous shoulder of a mountain
ridge, the summit of which appeared crescent-shaped
as we approached it from above. Picking our way
towards it cautiously, close to projected reefy points,
behind which are the entrances to the recesses in the
mountainous bank already described, we arrived within
fifty yards of the cataract of Isangila, or Tuckey's
** Second Sangalla."
We drew our boat and canoes into a sandy-edged
basin in the low rocky terrace, and proceeded to view
the cataract of Isangila. On the left rises the preci-
pitous shoulder of a mountain ridge, the highest summit
of which may be 900 feet. On the right a naked and
low rocky terrace is projected from a grassy and
gently sloping shelf a mile deep, above which the
table-land rises 1200 feet with steep slopes. The
rocky terrace appears to be covered by the river in
Digitized
byG00gl(
Isangila.
440 THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1877. the flood season, but at this period it is contracted to
crescent, along which arise at intervals rocky protu-
berances of an iron-rust colour, seven in number, one
of which, near the middle of the stream, is large
enough to be called an islet, being probably a hundred
yards in length. Near the right side there is a clear
drop of 10 feet, and close below it another drop of
8 feet ; on the left side the river hurls itself against the
base of the clifi*, and then swerves abruptly aside to a
south-west by south direction ; it bounds down the steep
descent in a succession of high-leaping billows, along a
wild tempestuous stretch of a mile and a half in length,
disparted in its course by a lofty island, below which
it sweeps round into an ample sand-lined basin on the
left bank, south of the cataract. To study the nature of
the ground I proceeded to a point opposite this basin,
and observed the river continue in a westerly course
(magnetic). There are abundant traces of lava in the
neighbourhoqd of this cataract, and the cliffs opposite
have the appearance of rock subjected to the influence
of a fierce fire.
After about two hours' stay here, the inhabitants of
Mwato Zinge, Mwato Wandu, and Mbinda visited us,
and we soon became on terms of sociable and friendly
intercourse with them, but, unfortunately, they possess^
nothing but ground-nuts, bitter cassava, and a few
bananas. A couple of goats were purchased at a
ruinous price : a handful of ground-nuts cost a necklace
of beads, while cowries were worthless. Rum, gun-
powder, and guns would have purchased ample supplies ;
but such things required a railway for transportation,
and our own guns we could not part vdth. One chief
from the left bank above the cataract came over with
his little boy, a pure albino, with blue eyes, curly white
hair, and a red skin, of whom he appeared to be very
Digitized
byG00gl(
ONLY FIVE MARCHES FROM WHITE FACES! 441
proud, as he said he was also a little Mundele. The is??,
old chiefs hands were bleached in the palms, and in ^^^^ ^^'
various parts of the body, proving the origin of the ""^ ''
peculiar disease.
We received the good news that Embomma was only
five days' journey, rated thus : —
From Isangila to Inga 1 day.
„ Inga „ Boondi „
„ Boondi „ Ntabo „
„ Ntabo „ Bibbi „
„ Bibbi ,f Embomma ,,
We heard also that there were three great cataracts
below Isangila, and "any number" of intermediate
" Mputu - putu - putu '* rapids. The cataracts were
Nsongo-Yellala, a larger one than either Isangila,
Yellala, or Ngufu.
There was not the slightest doubt in my mind that
.the Isangila cataract was the second Sangalla of
Captain Tuckey and Professor Smith, and that the
Sanga Yellala of Tuckey and the Sanga Jelalla of Smith
was the Nsongo Yellala, though I could not induce
the natives to pronounce the words as the members
of the unfortunate Congo Expedition of 1816 spelled
them.*
As the object of the journey had now been attained,
* I ascertained, upon studying carefully the accounts of the Congo
Expedition of 1816, that Professor Smith's account in many respects is
much more reliable than Captain Tuckey's. Professor Smith gives the
river above Isangila a general width of about one English mile, which is
quite correct, and at a place which the officers reached on the 8th Sep-
tember 1816 he estimates the width to be about half a Danish mile,
which Captain Tuckey has unaccountably extended to about four or five
English miles, that is to say, from 6640 to 8800 yards ! Captain Tuckey,
according to Stanford's Library Map of 1874, places the second Sangalla
by dead reckoning in east longitude 14° 36', south latitude 4° 69', which
is very for from being its position. On July 28, 1877, 1 obtained south
latitude 6° 19' by observation. Captain Tuckey is, however, more reliable
in his orthography than the botanist of his Expedition. Both gentlemen
have unaccountably passed the largest fall, viz. Nsongo Tellala, with but
a mere word of mention.
Digitized
byG00gl(
Isangila.
442 TU ROUGH TEE DARK CONTINENT.
1877. and the great river of Livingstone had been connected
i^^Lfu ^*^ *^® Congo of Tuckey, 1 saw no reason to follow
it farther, or to expend the little remaining vitality we
possessed in toiling through the last four cataracts.
I announced, therefore, to the gallant but wearied
Wangwana that we should abandon the river and strike
overland for Embomma. The delight of the people
manifested itself in loud and fervid exclamations of
gratitude to Allah ! Quadruple ration-money was also
distributed to each man, woman, and child ; but owing
to the excessive poverty of the country, and the keen
trading instincts and avaricious spirit of the aborigines,
little benefit did the long-enduring, famine-stricken
Wangwana derive from my liberality.
Fancy knick-knacks, iron spears, knives, axes, copper,
brass wire, were then distributed to them, and I emptied
the medicine out of thirty vials, and my private clothes-
bags, blankets, waterproofs, every available article of
property that might be dispensed with, were also given
away, without distinction of rank or merit, to invest
in whatever eatables they could procure. The 31st
July was consequently a busy day, devoted to
bartering, but few Wangwana were able to boast at
evening that they had obtained a tithe of the value of
the articles they had sold, and the character of the food
actually purchased was altogether unfit for people in
such poor condition of body.
At sunset we lifted the brave boat, after her adven-
turous journey across Africa, and carried her to the
summit of some rocks about five hundred yards north
of the fall, to be abandoned to her fate. Three years
before. Messenger of Teddington had commenced her
construction ; two years previous to this date she was
coasting the bluffs of IJzongora on Lake Victoria;
twelve months later she was completing her last
cwenty miles of the circumnavigation of Lake Tan-
Digitized
byG00gl(
STAUNCE TO TEE DEATE. 443
ganika, and on the 31st July 1877, after a journey of isri.
nearly 7000 miles up and down broad Africa, ste"^^*^*
was consigned to her resting-place above the Isangila
Cataract, to bleach and to rot to dust !
♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ « «
A wayworn, feeble, and suffering column were we
when, on the 1st August, we filed across the rocky
terrace of Isangila and sloping plain, and strode up
the ascent to the tableland. Nearly forty men filled
the sick list with dysentery, ulcers, and scurvy, and the
victims of the latter disease were steadily increasing.
Yet withal I smiled proudly when I saw the brave
hearts cheerily respond to my encouraging cries. A
few, however, would not believe that within five or
six days they should see Europeans. They disdained
to be considered so credulous, but at the same time
they granted that the ** master " was quite right to
encourage his people with promises of speedy relief.
So we surmounted the table-land, but we could not
bribe the wretched natives to guide us to the next
village. " Mirambo," the riding-ass, managed to reach
half-way up the table-land, but he also was too far
exhausted through the miserable attenuation which the
poor grass of the western region had wrought in his
frame to struggle further. We could only pat him on
the neck and say, " Good-bye, old boy ; farewell, old
hero ! A bad world this for you and for us. We must
part at last." The poor animal appeared to know that
we were leaving him, for he neighed after us — ^a sickly,
quavering neigh, that betrayed his excessive weakness.
When we last turned to look at him he was lying on
the path, but looking up the hill with pointed ears, as
though he were wondering why he was left alone, and
whither his human friends and companions by flood
and field were wandering.
After charging the chief of Mbinda to feed him
Digitized
byG00gl(
444 THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1877. with cassava leaves and good grass from his fields, I
August 1. 1^^ ^]^^ caravan over the serried levels of the lofty
Mwato , _ ^
Wandu. Upland.
At the end of this district, about a mile from Mwato
Wandu, we appeared before a village whose inhabitants
permitted us to pass on for a little distance, when they
suddenly called out to us with expostulatory tones at
an almost shrieking pitch. The old chief, followed by
about fifty men, about forty of whom carried guns,
hurried up to me and sat down in the road.
In a composed and consequential tone he asked, "Know
you I am the king of this country ? "
I answered mildly, " I knew it not, my brother."
" I am the king, and how can you pass through my
country without paying me ? "
"Speak, my friend; what is it the Mundele can
give you ? *'
" Rum. I want a big bottle of rum, and then you
can pass on.*'
"Rum?'*
" Yes, rum, for I am the king of this country 1 "
" Rum ! '* I replied wonderingly.
" Rum ; rum is good. I love rum," he said, with a
villainous leer.
Uledi, coming forward, impetuously asked, " What
does this old man want, master ? "
" He wants rum, Uledi. Think of it ! "
" There's rum for him," he said, irreverently slapping
his Majesty over the face, who, as the stool was not
very firm, fell over prostrate. Naturally this was an
affront, and I reproved Uledi for it. Yet it seemed
that he had extricated us from a difficult position by
his audacity, for the old chief and his people hurried off
to their village, where there was great excitement and
perturbation, but we could not stay to see the end.
Ever and anon, as we rose above the ridged swells,
Digitized
byG00gl(
RUM. 445
we caught the gh'rapse of the wild river on whose is??,
bosom we had so long floated. Still white and foaming, ^^r*\!*
it rushed on impetuously seaward through the sombre Mbong--
defile. Then we descended into a deep ravine, and
presently, with uneasy throbbing hearts, we breasted a
steep slope rough with rock, and from its summit we
looked abroad over a heaving, desolate, and ungrateful
land. The grass was tall and ripe, and waved and
rustled mournfully before the upland breezes. Soon
the road declined into a valley, and we were hid in &
deep fold, round which rose the upland, here to the west
shagged with a thin forest, to the north with ghastly
sere grass, out of which rose a few rocks, grey and
sad. On our left was furze, with scrub. At the
bottom of this, sad and desolate, ran a bright crystal
clear brook. Up again to the summit we strove to
gain the crest of a ridge, and then, down once more the
tedious road wound in crooked curves to the depth of
another ravine, on the opposite side of which rose
sharply and steeply, to the wearying height of 1200
feet, the range called Yangi-Yangi. At 11 a.m. we in
the van had gained the lofty summit, and fifteen
minutes afterwards we descried a settlement and its
cluster of palms. An hour afterwards we were camped
on a bit of level plateau to the south of the villages of
Ndambi Mbongo.
The chiefs appeared, dressed in scarlet military coats
of a past epoch. We asked for food for beads. •* Can-
not" " For wire ?" " We don't want wire ! '* " For
cowries ? " " Are we bushmen ? " " For cloth ? '* « You
must wait three days for a market! If you have
got rum you can have plenty 1 ! " Rum ! Heavens !
Over two years and eight months ago we departed
from the shores of the Eastern Ocean, and they ask
us for rum !
Yet they were not insolent, but unfeeling; they
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446 THMOUGE TEE DARK CONTINENT.
1877. were not rude, but steely selfish. We conversed with
August 2. \\^Q^ sociably enough, and obtained encouragement,
vlSgl. A strong healthy man would reach Embomma in three
days. Three days ! Only three days off from food —
from comforts— luxuries even ! Ah me !
The next day, when morning was greying, we lifted
our weakened limbs for another march. And such a
march ! — the path all thickly strewn with splinters of
suet-coloured quartz, which increased the fatigue and
pain. The old men and the three mothers, with their
young infants born at the cataracts of Massassa and
Zinga, and another near the market town of Manyanga,
in the month of June, suffered greatly. Then might
be seen that affection for one another which appealed
to my sympathies, and endeared them to me still more.
Two of the younger men assisted each of the old, and
the husbands and fathers lifted their infants on their
shoulders and tenderly led their wives along.
Up and down the desolate and sad land wound the
poor, hungry caravan. Bleached whiteness of ripest
grass, grey rock-piles here and there, looming up
solemn and sad in their greyness, a thin grove of trees
now and then visible on the heights and in the hollows
— such were the scenes that with every uplift of a
ridge or rising crest of a hill met our hungry eyes.
Eight miles our strength enabled us to make, and then
we camped in the middle of an uninhabited valley,
where we were supplied with water from the pools
which we discovered in the course of a dried-up stream.
Our march on the third day was a continuation of
the scenes of the day preceding until about ten
o'clock, when we arrived at the summit of a grassy
and scrulvcovered ridge, which we followed until three
in the afternoon. The van then appeared before the
miserable settlement of Nsanda, or, as it is sometimes
called, Banza (town) N'sanda N'sanga. Marching
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I WRITE TO EMBOMMA. 447
through the one street of the first village in melan- le??.
choly and silent procession, voiceless as sphinxes, we -^"^stt*!*-
felt our way down into a deep gully, and crawled
up again to the level of the village site, and camped
about two hundred yards away. It was night before
all had arrived.
After we had erected our huts and lifted the tent
into its usual place, the chief of Nsanda appeared, a
youngish, slightly made man, much given to singing,
being normally drunk from an excess of palm-wine.
He was kindly, sociable — laughed, giggled, and was
amusing. Of course he knew Embomma, had frequently
visited there, and carried thither large quantities of
NgvJba ground-nuts, which he had sold for rum. We
listened, as in duty bound, with a melancholy interest.
Then I suddenly asked him if he would carry a
makanda, or letter, to Embomma, and allow three of
my men to accompany him. He was too great to
proceed himself, but he would despatch two of his
young men the next day. His consent I obtained only
after four hours of earnest entreaty. It was finally
decided that I should write a letter, and the two young
natives would be ready next day. After my dinner —
three fried bananas, twenty roasted ground-nuts, and
a cup of muddy water, my usual fare now — ^by a lamp
made out of a piece of rotten sheeting steeped in a
little palm-butter I wrote the following letter : —
«* Village of Nsanda, August 4, 1877.
" To any Gentleman who speaks English at Emhoimna.
" Dear Sir,
'* I have arrived at this place from Zanzibar
with 115 souls, men, women, and children. We- are
now in a state of imminent starvation. We can buy
nothing from the natives, for they laugh at our kinds
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byG00gl(
448 THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1877. of cloth, beads, and wire. There are no provisions in
^K^ * *^® country that may be purchased, except on market
days, and starving people cannot afford to wait tor
these markets. I, therefore, have made bold to despatch
three of my young men, natives of Zanzibar, with a boy
named Robert Fenizi, of the English Mission at Zan-
zibar, with this letter, craving relief from you. I do
not know you ; but I am told there is an Englishman
at Erabomma, and as you are a Christian and a gen-
tleman, I beg you not to disregard my request The
boy Robert will be better able to describe our lone
condition than I can tell you in this letter. We are in
a state of the greatest distress; but if your supplies
arrive in time, I may be able to reach Embomma
within four days. I want three hundred cloths, each
four yards long, of such quality as you trade with,
which is very different from that we have ; but better
than all would be ten or fifteen man-loads of rice or
grain to fill their pinched bellies immediately, as even
with the cloths it would require time to purchase food,
and starving people cannot wait. The supplies must
arrive within two days, or I may have a fearful time
of it among the dying. Of course I hold myself respon-
sible for any expense you may incur in this business.
What is wanted is immediate relief; and I pray you to
use your utmost energies to forward it at once. For
myself, if you have such little luxuries as tea, coffee,
sugar, and biscuits by you, such as one man can easily
carry, I be<j you on my own behalf that you will send
a small supply, and add to the great debt of gratitude
due to you upon the timely arrival of the supplies for
my people. Until that time I beg you to believe me
** Yours sincerely,
H. M. Stanley,
«
'Commanding Anglo-American Expedition
for Exploration of Afrioa.
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byG00gl(
THE FORLORN EOPE. 449
'* P.S. You may not know me by name ; I therefore 1877.
add, I am the person that discovered Livingstone in ^°«"''*-
1871.-H.M.S." ^ ^ ^"^
I also wrote a letter in French, and another in
Spanish as a substitute for Portuguese, as I heard at
Nsanda that there was one Englishman, one French-
man, and three Portuguese at Embomma; but there
were conflicting statements, some saying that there was
no Englishman, but a Dutchman. However, I imagined
I was sure to obtain provisions — for most Euro-
pean merchants understand either English, French, or
Spanish.
The chiefs and boat's crew were called to my tent.
I then told them that I had resolved to despatch four
messengers to the white men at Embomma, with letters
asking for food, and wished to know the names of
those most likely to travel quickly and through any-
thing that interposed to prevent them ; for it might be
possible that so small a number of men might be sub-
jected to delays and interruptions, and that the guides
might loiter on the way, and so protract the journey
until relief would arrive too late.
The response was not long coming, for Uledi sprang
up and said, " Oh, master, don't talk more ; I am
ready now. See, I will only buckle on my belt, and
I shall start at once, and nothing will stop me. I will
follow on the track like a leopard."
" And I am one," said Kacheche'. " Leave us alone,
master. If there are white men at Embomma, we
will find them out. We will walk, and walk, and
when we cannot walk we will crawl."
" Leave off talking, men," said Muini Pemb^, " and
allow others to speak, won't you ? Hear me, my
master. I am your servant. I will outwalk the two.
I will carry the letter, and plant it before the eyes of
the white men."
VOL. n. — 29
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byG00gl(
Nsandt.
450 TEROUGE THE LARK CONTINENT.
1877. " I will go too, sir," said Robert.
^vfr*/' " ^^^^- ^* ^« J"^* ^ I shonU wish it ; but, Robert,
you cannot follow these three men. You will break
down, my boy."
" Oh, we will carry him if he breaks down,** said
Uledi. " Won't we, Kacheche ?"
" Inshallah !'* responded Kacheche decisively. " We
must have Robert along with us, otherwise the white
men won't understand us."
Early the next day the two guides appeared, but the
whole of the morning was wasted in endeavouring to
induce them to set oflF. Uledi waxed impatient, and
buckled on his accoutrements, drawing his belt so tight
about his waist that it was perfectly painful to watch
him, and said, " Give us the letters, master ; we will
not wait for the pagans. Our people will be dead
before we start. Regard them, will you ! They are
sprawling about the camp without any life in them.
Goee — Go-ee — Go-ee." Finally, at noon, the guides
and messengers departed in company.
Meanwhile a bale of cloth and a sack of beads were
distributed, and the strongest and youngest men
despatched abroad in all directions to forage for food.
Late in the afternoon they arrived in camp weakened
and dispirited, having, despite all efforts, obtained buta
few bundles- of the miserable ground-nuts and sufficient
sweet potatoes to give three small ones to each person,
though they had given twenty times their value for
each one. The heartless reply of the spoiled aborigines
was, " Wait for the zandu," or market, which was to
be held in two days at Nsanda ; for, as amongst the
Babwende, each district has its respective days for
marketing. Still what we had obtained was a respite
from death ; and, on the morning of the 5th, the people
were prepared to drag their weary limbs nearer to the
expected relief.
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byG00gl(
THE "FOWEBFUL MAN** INSULTS US. 451
Our route lay along the crest of a ridge, until we 1877.
arrived at a narrow alluvial valley, in which the chief ^^*^! ^'
village of the Nsanda district is situate, amidst palms,
ground-nut, and cassava gardens, and small patches of
beans, peas, and sweet potatoes. From this valley we
ascended the grassy upland, until we came to what
we might call Southern Nsanda. We had proceeded
about two hundred yards beyond it when a powerful
man, followed by a large crowd, advanced toward us,
and, like him near Mwato Wandu, demanded to know
why we passed through without payment.
" Payment ! Payment for what ? Look at my people
they are skin and bone. They are dying for want 01
food in your country. Brother, stand off, or these men
will be smelling food for themselves, and 1 would hot
stop them."
He became outrageous ; he called for his gun ; his
followers armed themselves. Observing matters getting
serious, I disposed as a precautionary measure twenty
men as skirmishers in front of the road and ten in rear,
leaving the goods and sick people in the centre. Word
was then given to the powerful man that they had
better not shoot, for our people were angry, and were
very different from any they had seen, and nothing
could stop them if they began ; and it was possible
they might eat every soul in Nsanda. I observed that
the last sentence had a potent effect ; the angry demon-
strations were followed by a loud consultation ; the
loud consultation subsided into whispers, and soon
the " powerful man " said " Enough," and we advanced
towards each other, laughed, and shook hands heartily.
At this juncture appeared the chief of the central
village, who had furnished us with guides, and he, upon
hearing of the intended injury to the Mundele, insisted
upon the " powerful man " bringing forth a gourd
and jug and wash-basin full of palm-wine, and sealing
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byG00gl(
452 THBOUQH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1877. our friendship by a " drink all round '* ; which was
Augiist 5. ^Qj^Q^ and I promised to send the " powerful man " a
present of a bottle of rum from Embomma.
At 3 P.M., after a march of twelve miles, the van of the
Expedition descended the slope of the high wood-covered
ridge of Ikungu, whence the populous valley of Mbinda
lay revealed. Halfway down the slope we camped,
being in view of eighteen villages. The entire popula-
tion of Mbinda — the valley, or basin, derives its name
from the south-eastern ridge, which is called Mbinda —
I roughly estimated at being about three thousand
souls. Each of these villages bears a different name,
but the entire number is under three chiefs, who are
styled *' kings,'* and are extremely absurd in their
pomposity. The people are suflBciently amiable, but
terribly extortionate and grasping, and so niggardly
and close in trade that the Wangwana became more
and more weakened. Fetishism is carried to an extra-
ordinary extent. Idols of wood, tolerably well carved,
are numerous, and the various ceremonies practised by
these people would fill a volume. Some hideous and
ghostly objects, with chalked bodies, wearing skirts of
palm-leaves or grass, hovered about at respectful dis-
tance, and I was told by the chief of Nsanda that they
had been lately circumcised. Ground-nuts are the chief
produce here, as well as of all the region from Man-
yanga of the Babwende, because they are in demand by
the merchants of Embomma. By means of the markets
held alternately in each district, the ground-nuts are
being brought from immense distances. But while
their cultivation retards exploration, it proves that the
natives are willing to devote themselves to any branch
of agriculture that may be profitable. In former days
the slave and the ivory-trade supported a vast portion
of this region, but perceiving that slaves are not now
in demand, and ivory not abundant enough to be pro-
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byG00gl(
\
STRUGGLING ON. 453
fitable^ the natives have resorted to the cultivation of is??.
ground-nuts for the supply of the Europeans at Em- ^^^^^^'
bomma, palms for the sake of their intoxicating juice,
and only a few small patches of beans, vetches, sweet
potatoes, &c., for home consumption.
Close to our camp was a cemetery of a village of
Mbinda. The grave-mounds were neat, and by their
appearance I should judge them to be not only the re-
positories of the dead, but also the depositories of all the
articles that had belonged to the dead. Each grave was
dressed out with the various mugs, pitchers, wash-basins,
teapots, kettles, glasses, gin, brandy, and beer bottles,
besides iron skillets, kettles, tin watering-pots, and
buckets ; and above the mound thus curiously decorated
were suspended to the branch of a tree the various net
haversacks of palm-fibre in which the deceased had
carried his ground-nuts, cassava bread, and eatables. The
various articles of property thus exhibited, especially the
useful articles, had all been purposely rendered useless,
otherwise I doubt if, with all their superstition, thieves
could have been restrained from appropriating them.
On the 6th we roused ourselves for a further eflFort,
and after filing through several villages separated from
Digitized
byGoogU
454 TEROVQH TEE DARK CONTINENT.
1877. each other hy intervals of waste land, we arrived
August 6. ^^ g ^^ j^gg^j, Banza Mbuko. Haggard, woe-begone
Mbukt invalids, with bloated faces, but terribly angular bodies,
we sought a quiet spot a mile beyond the outermost
village of the settlement. Mbinda's wooded ridge was
in view, and Ikungu's bearded summits were fast
receding into distance and obscurity. Banza Mbuko
seemed prosperous ; the inhabitants appeared to be well
fed, but, as though we were denizens of another world,
nothing of warm sympathy could I detect in the face of
any one of all those that gazed on us. Ah ! in what part
of all the Japhetic world would such a distressed and
woful band as we were then have been regarded with
such hard, steel-cold eyes ? Yet not one word of re-
proach issued from the starving people; they threw
themselves upon the ground with an indifference be-
gotten of despair and misery. They did not fret, nor
bewail aloud the tortures of famine, nor vent the anguish
of their pinched bowels in cries, but with stony resig-
nation surrendered themselves to rest, under the scant
shade of some dwarf acacia or sparse bush. Now and
then I caught the wail of an infant, and the thin voice
of a starving mother, or the petulant remonstrance of
an older child ; but the adults remained still and
apparently lifeless, each contracted within the exclusive-
ness of individual suffering. The youths, companions
of Uledi, and the chiefs, sat in whispering groups,
removed from the sick and grieving, and darkly dotted
the vicinity of the tent; the childless women were
also seen by twos and threes far apart, discussing,
no doubt, our prospects, for at this period this was
the most absorbing topic of the camp.
Suddenly the shrill voice of a little boy was heard
saying, " Oh ! I see Uledi and Kacheche coming down
the hill, and there are plenty of men following them !'*
" What ! — what ! — what 1" broke out eagerly from
Digitized
byG00gl(
- WE ABE SAVED, THANK GODT 455
several voices, and dark forms were seen springing up is??.
from amongst . the bleached grass, and from under the "^^'^^"
shade, and many eyes were directed at the whitened iibuko.
hill-slope.
" Yes ; it is true ! it is true ! La il Allah il Allah !
Yes; el hamd ul Illah! Yes, it is food ! food ! food at
last ! Ah, that Uledi ! he is a lion, truly ! We are
saved, thank God !'*
Before many minutes, Uledi and Kacheche were seen
tearing through the grass, and approaching us with
long springing strides, holding a letter up to annoxmce
to us that they had been successful. And the gallant
fellows, hurrying up, soon placed it in my hands,
and in the hearing of all who were gathered to hear
the news I translated the following letter : —
" Embomma, " 6.30 A.M.,
" English Factory. *Boma, &h August 1877.
" H. M. Stanley, Esq.
" Dear Sir,
" Your welcome letter came to hand yester-
day, at 7 P.M. As soon as its contents were imderstood,
we immediately arranged to despatch to you such
articles as you requested, as much as our stock on hand
would permit, and other things that we deemed would
be suitable in that locality. You will see that we send
fifty pieces of cloth, each 24 yards long, and some sacks
containing sundries for yourself; several sacks of rice,
sweet potatoes, also a few bundles of fish, a bundle of
tobacco, and one demijohn of rum. The carriers are
all paid, so that you need not trouble yourself about
them. That is all we need say about business. We
are exceedingly sorry to hear that you have arrived in
such piteous condition, but we send our warmest con-
gratulations to you, and hope that you will soon arrive
in Boma (this place is called Boma by us, though on
Digitized
byG00gl(
456 TEBOUQE THE DABK CONTINENT.
1877. the map it is Em-bomma). Again hoping that you
Anguste. ^ju g^^j^ arrive, and that you are not suffering in
Mbuko. healthy
** Believe us to remain,
" Your sincere friends,
" Hatton & CooKSoy.
{Signed) " A. da Motta Veiga,
"J. W. Harrison."
Uledi and Kachech^ then delivered their budget.
Their guides had accompanied them halfway, when
they became frightened by the menaces of some of
the natives of Mbinda, and deserted them. The four
Wangwana, however, undertook the journey alone,
and, following a road for several hours, they appeared at
Bibbi after dark. The next day (the 5th), being told
by the natives that Boma (to which Embomma was
now changed) was lower down river, and unable to
obtain guides, the brave fellows resolved upon follow-
ing the Congo along its banks. About an hour
after sunset, after a fatiguing march over many hills,
they reached Boma, and, asking a native for the house
of the " Ingreza " (English), were shown to the factory
of Messrs. Hatton and Cookson, which was superin-
tended by a Portuguese gentleman, Mr. A. da Motta
Veiga, and Mr. John W. Harrison, of Liverpool.
Kacheche, who was a better narrator than Uledi, then
related that a short white man, wearing spectacles,
opened the letter, and, after reading awhile, asked
which was Robert Feruzi, who answered for himself
in English, and, in answer to many questions, gave a
summary of our travels and adventures, but not before
the cooks were set to prepare an abundance of food,
which they sadly needed, after a fast of over thirty hours.
By this time the procession of carriers from Messrs.
Hatton and Cookson's factory had approached, and all
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byG00gl(
''ENOUGH NOW i FALL TO."" 457
eyes were directed at the pompous old "capitan" is??,
and the relief caravan behind him. Several of the -^^^*^-
Wangwana officiously stepped forward to relieve the Mtuko.
fatigued and perspiring men, and with an extraordinary
vigour tossed the provisions — rice, fish, and tobacco
bundles — on the ground, except the demijohn of rum,
which they called pombe, and handled most carefully.
The " capitan " was anxious about my private stores,
but the scene transpiring about the provisions was
so absorbingly interesting that I could pay no at-
tention as yet to them. While the captains of the
messes were ripping open the sacks and distributing
the provisions in equal quantities, Murabo, the boat-
boy, struck up a glorious loud-swelling chant of triumph
and success, into which he deftly, and with a poet's
licence, interpolated verses laudatory of the white men
of the second sea. The bard, extemporizing, sang
much about the great cataracts, cannibals, and pagans,
hunger, the wide wastes, great inland seas, and nig-
gardly tribes, and wound up by declaring that the
journey was over, that we were even then smelling the
breezes of the western ocean, and his master's
brothers had redeemed them from the " hell of hunger.**
And at the end of each verse the voices rose high and
clear to the chorus —
''Then sing, 0 friends, sing ; the journey is ended ;
Sing aloud, 0 friends, sing to this great sea."
** Enough now ; fall to,** said Manwa Sera, at
which the people nearly smothered him by their
numbers. Into each apron, bowl, and utensil held out,
the several captains expeditiously tossed full measures
of rice and generous quantities of sweet potatoes and
portions of fish. The younger men and women hobbled
after water, and others set about gathering fuel, and
the camp was all animation, where but half an hour
Digitized
byG00gl(
458 TEBOUQH THE DABK CONTINENT.
1877. previously all had been listless despair. Many people
August 6. j^QYQ unable to wait for the food to be cooked.
MbuS. but ate the rice and the fish raw. But when the
provisions had all been distributed, and the noggin of
rum had been equitably poured into each man's cup,
and the camp was in a state of genial excitement, and
groups of dark figures discussed with animation the
prospective food which the hospitable fires were fast pre-
paring, then I turned to my tent^ accompanied by Uledi,
Kachech^, the capitan, and the tent-boys, who were,
I suppose, eager to witness my transports of delight.
With profound tenderness Kachech^ handed to me
the mysterious bottles, watching my face the while
with his sharp detective eyes as I glanced at the labels,
by which the cunning rogue read my pleasure. Pale
ale! Sherry! Port wine! Champagne! Several
loaves of bread, wheaten bread, sufficient for a week.
Two pots of butter. A packet of tea ! CoflFee ! White
loaf-sugar! Sardines and salmon! Plum-pudding!
Currant, gooseberry, and raspberry jam!
The gracious God be praised for ever ! The long
war we had maintained against famine and the siege
of woe were over, and my people and I rejoiced in
plenty! It was only an hour before we had been
living on the recollections of the few pea-nuts and
green bananas we had consumed in the morning, but
now, in an instant, we were transported into the
presence of the luxuries of civilization. Never did
gaunt Africa appear so unworthy and so despicable
before my eyes as now, when imperial Europe rose
before my delighted eyes and showed her boundless
treasures of life, and blessed me with her stores.
When we all felt refreshed, the cloth bales were
opened, and soon, instead of the venerable and tattered
relics of Manchester, Salem, and Nashua manufacture,
which were hastily consumed by the fire, the people were
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byG00gl(
MY LETTER OF THANKS. 459
reel ad with white cloths and gay prints. The nakedness 1877.
of want, the bare ribs, the sharp protruding bones were ^^^"^^ ^'
thus covered ; but months must elapse before the hollow uhlko.
sunken cheeks and haggard faces would again resume
the healthy bronze colour which distinguishes the
well-fed African.
My condition of mind in the evening of the eventful
day which was signalized by the happy union which
we had made with the merchants of the west coast,
may be guessed by the following letter : —
" Banz A Mbuko, Aiigust 6, 1877.
** Messrs. A. da Motta Veiga and J. W. Harrison,
Embomma, Congo Eiver.
" Gentlemen,
" I have received your very welcome letter, but
better than all, and more welcome, your supplies. I am
unable to express just at present how grateful I feel.
We are all so overjoyed and confused with our
emotions, at the sight of the stores exposed to our
hungry eyes — at the sight of the rice, the fish, and the
rum, and for me — wheaten bread, butter, sardines, jam,
peaches, grapes, beer (ye gods ! just think of it — three
bottles pale ale !) besides tea and sugar — that we cannot
restrain ourselves from falling to and enjoying this
sudden bounteous store — and I beg you will charge our
apparent want of thankfulness to our greediness. If we
do not thank you sufficiently in words, rest assured we
feel what volumes could not describe.
" For the next twenty-four hours we shall be too
busy eating to think of anything else much ; but I may
say that the people cry out joyfully, while their mouths
are full of rice and fish, * Verily, our master has found
the sea, and his brothers, but we did not believe him
until he showed us the rice and the pombe (rum). We
did not believe there was any end to the great river ;
Digitized
byG00gl(
460 TEBOUGH TEE DARK CONTINENT.
1877. but, God be praised for ever, we shall see white people
Anguat 6. to-morrow, and our wars and troubles will be over.'
Mbuko. ** Dear Sirs — though strangers, I feel we shall be
great friends, and it will be the study of my lifetime to
remember my feelings of gratefuhiess, when I first
caught sight of your supplies, and my poor faithful
and brave people cried out, * Master, we are saved ! —
food is coming !' The old and the young — the men,
the women, the children — lifted their wearied and worn-
out frames, and began to chant lustily an extempora,-
neous song, in honour of the white people by the great
salt sea (the Atlantic) who had listened to their prayers.
I had to rush to my tent to hide the tears that would
issue, despite all my attempts at composure.
" Gentlemen, that the blessing of God may attend
your footsteps whithersoever you go is the very earnest
prayer of
" Yours faithfully,
" Henry M. Stanley,
" Cktmrnanding Anglo-American Expedition."
At the same hour on the morning of the 7th that we
resumed the march, Kach^ch^ and Uledi were des-
patched to Boma with the above letter. Then sur-
mounting a ridge, we beheld a grassy country barred
with seams of red clay in gullies, ravines, and slopes,
the eflfects of rain, dipping into basins with frequently
broad masses of plateau and great dyke-like ridges
between, and in the distance south-west of us a lofty,
tree-clad hill-range, which we were told we should
have to climb before descending to N'lamba N'lamba,
where we proposed camping.
Half an hour's march brought us to a market-place,
where a tragedy had been enacted a short time before
the relief caravan had passed it the day previous. Two
thieves had robbed a woman of salt, and, according
to the local custom which ordains the severest penalties
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AFFBOACHING CIVILIZATION. 461
for theft in the public mart, the two felons had been is??,
immediately executed, and their bodies laid close to ^^F^V
the path to deter others evilly disposed from committing NMami>a.
like crimes.
At noon we surmounted the lofty range which we had
viewed near Banza Mbuko, and the aneroid indicated a
height of 1500 feet. A short distance from its base, on
two grassy hills, is situate N'lamba N'lamba, a settle-
ment comprising several villages, and as populous as
Mbinda. The houses and streets were very clean and
neat ; but, as of old, the natives are devoted to idolatry,
and their passion for carving wooden idols was illus^
trated in every street we passed through.
On the 8th we made a short march of five miles to
N'safu, over a sterile, bare, and hilly country, but the
highest ridge passed was not over 1100 feet above the
sea. TJledi and Kacheche returned at this place with
more cheer for us, and a note acknowledging my letter
of thanks.
In a postscript to this note, Mr. Motta Yeiga pre-
pared me for a reception which was to meet me on the
road halfway between N'safu and Boma ; it also con-
tained the census of the European population, as
follows : —
"Perhaps you do not know that in Boma there are only eleven
Portngnose, one Frenchman, one Dutchman, one gentleman from St
Helena, and ourselves (Messrs. Motta Veiga and J. W. Harrison), Messrs.
Hatton and Cookson being in Liverpool, and the two signatures above
being names of those in charge of the English factory there."
On the 9th August 1877, the 999th day from the
date of our departure from Zanzibar, we prepared to
greet the van of civilization.
From the bare rocky ridges of N'safu there is a
perceptible decline to the Congo valley, and the country
becomes, in appearance, more sterile — a sparse popu-
lation dwelling in a mere skeleton village in the centre
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462 THROUGH THE DABK CONTINENT.
1877. of bleakness. Shingly rocks strewed the path and the
^ag"»* ^" waste, and thin sere grass waved mournfully on level
and spine, on slope of ridge and crest of hill ; in the
hollows it was somewhat thicker ; in the bottoms it had
a slight tinge of green.
We had gradually descended some five hundred feet "
along declining spurs when we saw a scattered string
of hammocks appearing, and gleams of startling white-
ness, such as were given by fine linen and twills.
A buzz of wonder ran along our column.
Proceeding a little farther, we stopped, and in a
short time I was face to face with four white — ay, truly
white men !
As I looked into their faces, I blushed to find
that I was wondering at their paleness. Poor pagan
Africans — ^Rwoma of TJzinja, and man-eating tribes of
the Livingstone! The whole secret of their wonder
and curiosity flashed upon me at once. What arrested
the twanging bow and the deadly trigger of the
cannibals ? What but the weird pallor of myself and
Frank ! In the same manner the sight of the pale faces
of the Embomma merchants gave me the slightest
suspicion of an involuntary shiver. The pale colour,
after so long gazing on rich black and richer bronze,
had something of an unaccountable ghastliness. I
could not divest myself of the feeling that they must
be sick ; yet, as I compare their complexions to what
I now view, I should say they were olive, sunburnt,
dark.
Yet there was something very self-possessed about
the carriage of these white men. It was grand ; a little
self-pride mixed with cordiality. I could not remember
just then that I had witnessed such bearing among any
tribe throughout Africa. They spoke well also ; the
words they uttered hit the sense pat ; without gesture,
they were perfectly intelligible. How strange I It
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AMONGST WEITE8. 463
was quite delig:htful to observe the slight nods of the is??,
head ; the inteUigent facial movements were admirably ^^^^^ *•
expressive. They were completely clothed, and neat
also ; I ought to say immaculately clean. Jaunty straw
hats, coloured neck-ties, patent-leather boots, well-cut
white clothes, virtuously clean ! I looked from them to
my people, and then I fear I felt almost like being
grateful to the Creator that I was not as black as they,
and that these finely dressed, well-spoken whites claimed
me as friend and kin. Yet I did not dare to place
myself upon an equality with them as yet ; the calm
blue and grey eyes rather awed me, and the immacu-
late purity of their clothes dazzled me. I was content
to suppose myself a kind of connecting link between
the white and the African for the time being. Possibly,
familiarity would beget greater confidence.
They expressed themselves delighted to see me ; con-
gratulated me with great warmth of feeling, and offered
to me the " Freedom of Boma !" We travelled together
along the path for a ruile, and came to the frontier
village of Boma, or Embomma, where the " king " was
at hand to do the honours. My courteous friends had
brought a hamper containing luxuries. Hock and
champagne appeared to be cheap enough where but a
few hours previous a cup of palm-wine was as precious
as nectar ; rare dainties of Paris and London abundant,
though a short time ago we were stinted of even
ground-nuts. Nor were the Wangwana forgotten, for
plenty had also been prepared for them.
My friends who thus welcomed me amongst the
descendants of Japhet were Mr. A. da Motta Veiga,
Senhores Luiz Pinto Maroo, Joao Chaves, Henrique
Germane Faro, and Mr. J. F. Miiller, of the Dutch
factory. They had brought a hammock with them, and
eight sturdy, well-fed bearers. They insisted on my per-
mitting them to lift me into the hammock. I declined.
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464 THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
\^ii. They said it was a Portuguese custom. To custom,
'^ i£^^' therefore, I yielded, though it appeared very eflFeminate.
It was a gradual slope through a valley, which soon
opened into a low alluvial plain, seamed here and
there with narrow gullies, and then over the heads of
the tall grass as I lay in the hammock 1 caught a
glimpse of the tall square box of a frame-house, with
a steep roof, erected on rising ground. It brought
back a host of old recollections; for everywhere on
the frontiers of civilization in America one may see the
like. It approached nearer and larger to the view,
and presently the hammock was halted by white-
washed palings, above which the square two-storied
box rose on piles with a strangeness that was almost
weird. It was the residence of those in charge of the
English factory.
Looking from the house, my eyes rested on the river.
Ah ! the hateful, murderous river, now so broad and
proud and majestically calm, as though it had not
bereft me of a friend, and of many faithful souls, and as
though we had never heard it rage and whiten with
fury, and mock the thunder. What a hypocritiwil
river ! But just below the landing a steamer was
ascending — the Kabinda^ John Petherbridge, master.
How civilization was advancing on me ! Not a moment
even to lie down and rest ! Full-blooded, eager, rest-
less, and aggressive, it pressed on me, and claimed me
for its own, without allowing me even the time to
cast one retrospective glance at the horrors left behind.
While still overwhelmed by the thought, the people of
the Expedition appeared, pressing forward to admire
and gaze wide-eyed at the strange " big iron canoe,*'
driven by fire on their river ; for there were several
Wanyamwezi, Waganda, and east coast men who would
not believe that there was anything more wonderful
than the Lady Alice.
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BOMA. 465
Our life at Boma,* which lasted only from 11 -a.m. of is??,
the 9th to noon of the 11th, passed too quickly away ; ^°^* ^^^'
but throughout it was intensest pleasure and gaiety.
There are some half-dozen factories at Boma, en-
gaging the attention of about eighteen whites. The
houses are all constructed of wooden boards, with, as a
rule, corrugated zinc roofs. The residences line the
river front ; the Dutch, French, and Portuguese fac-
tories being west of an isolated high square-browed
hill, which, by-the-by, is a capital site for a fortlet ;
and the English factory being a few hundred yards
above it. Each factory requires an ample courtyard
for its business, which consists in the barter of cotton
fabrics, glass-ware, crockery, iron-ware, gin, rum, guns
and gunpowder, for palm-oil, ground-nuts, and ivory.
The merchants contrive to exist as comfortably as their
means will allow. Some of them plant fruits and
garden vegetables, and cultivate grape-vines. Pine-
apples, guavas and limes may be obtained from the
market, which is held on alternate days a short distance
behind the European settlement.
Though Boma is comparatively ancient, and Euro-
peans have had commercial connections with this
district and the people for over a century, yet Captain
Tuckey's description of the people, written in 1816 —
their ceremonies and modes of life, their suspicion of
strangers and intolerance, their greed for rum and
indolence, the scarcity of food — is as correct as
though written to-day. The name ** Boma,'' however,
has usurped that of " Lombee,*' which Captain Tuckey
knew ; the banza of Embomma being a little distance
inland. In his day it was a village of about one
hundred huts, in which was held the market of the
banza, or king's town.
* There were three little banquets given me at Boma, and I do believe
everybody toasted me, fox which I felt very much obliged.
VOL. II. — 30
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466 THEOUOH TEE DARK CONTINENT.
1877. The view inland is dreary, bleak, and unpromising,
Auguft !!• consisting of grassy hills, and of a broken country,
°^ its only boast the sturdy baobab, which relieves
the nakedness of the land. But fresh from the
hungry wilderness and the land of selfish men, from
the storm ' and stress of the cataracts, the solemn
rock defiles of the Livingstone, and the bleak table-
land— I heeded it not. The glowing warm life of
Western civilization, the hospitable civilities and
gracious kindnesses which the merchants of Boma
showered on myself and people, were as dews of
Paradise, grateful, soothing, and refreshing.
On the 11th, at noon, after a last little banquet and
songs, hearty cheers, innumerable toasts, and fervid
claspings of friendly hands, we embarked. An hour
before sunset the " big iron canoe,** after a de^scent of
about thirty-five miles, hauled in-shore, on the right
bank, and made fast to the pier of another of Hatton
and Cookson's factories at Ponta da Lenha, or Wooded
Point. Two or three other Portuguese factories are
in close neighbourhood to it, lightening the gloom of
the background of black mangrove and forest
After a very agreeable night with our hospitable
English host, the Kabinda was again under way.
The puissant river below Boma reminded me of the
scenes above TJyanzi ; the colour of the water, the
numerous islands, and the enormous breadth recalled
those days when we had sought the liquid wildernesses
of the Livingstone, to avoid incessant conflicts with
the human beasts of prey in the midst of Primitive
Africa, and at the sight my eyes filled with tears
at the thought that I could not recall my lost
friends, and bid them share the rapturous joy that
now filled the hearts of all those who had endured
and survived.
A few hours later and we were gliding through
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THE ATLANTIC OCEAN. 467
the broad portal into the Ocean, the blue domain of is??,
civilization! Augnrt 12.
Turning to take a farewell glance at the mighty AtUnUc
River on whose brown bosom we had endured so
greatly, I saw it approach, awed and humbled, the
threshold of the watery immensity, to whose immeasur-
able volume and illimitable expanse, awful as had been
its power, and terrible as had been its fury, its flood
was but a drop. And I felt my heart suffused witl
purest gratitude to Him whose ^and had protected us,
and who had enabled us to pierce the Dark Continent
from east to west, and to trace its mightiest River to its
Ocean bourne.
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AT best: mt quarters at kabikda by ths sea.
{From a 'photograph by Mr. PhiUips.)
CONCLUSION.
Kabinda — San Paulo de Loanda — Simon's Bay— Cape Town — Natal —
Zanzibar — Joy of the returned — The martyrs to geography —
Reverie — Lans Deo !
1877. After steaming northward from the mouth of the
^Ka'blnria.^ CoDgo foF a few houis, we entered the fine bay of
Kabinda, on the southern shores of which the native
town of that name in the country of Ngoyo is situate.
On the southern point of the bay stands a third factory
of the enterprising firm of Messrs. Hatton and Cookson,
under the immediate charge of their principal agent,
Mr. John Phillips. A glance at the annexed photo-
graph will sufficiently show the prosperous appearance
of the establishment, and the comfortable houses that
have been constructed. The Expedition received a
cordial welcome from Messrs. Phillips, Wills, Price,
and Jones, and I was housed in a cottage surrounded
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KABINDA. 469
by gardens and overlooking the glorious sea, while the is??.
people were located in a large shed fronting the bay. ^^^-^f^
The next morning, when I proceeded to greet the
people, I discovered that one of the Wangwana had
died at sunrise ; and when I examined the condition of
the other sufferers it became apparent that there was to
be yet no rest for me, and that to save life I should
have to be assiduous and watchful. But for this, I
should have surrendered myself to the joys of life,
without a thought for myself or for others, and no
doubt I should have suffered in the same degree as the
— ^^
EXPEDITION AT KABINDA.
(From a photograph by Mr. Phillips,)
Wangwana from the effects of the sudden relaxation
from care, trouble, or necessity for further effort.
There were also other claims on my energies : I had
to write my despatches to the journals, and to re-esta-
blish those bonds of friendship and sympathetic com-
munion that had been severed by the lapse of dark
years and long months of silence. My poor people,
however, had no such incentives to rouse themselves
from the stupor of indifference, as fatal to them as
the cold to a benighted man in a snowy wilderness.
Housed together in a comfortable, barrack-like building,
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470 THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1877. with every convenience provided for them, and supplied
Aug. 12-20. ^^^Yi food, raiment, fuel, water, and an excess of hixuries,
nothing remained for them to do ; and the consequence
was, that the abrupt dead-stop to all action and move-
ment overwhelmed them, and plunged them into a
state of torpid brooding from which it was difficult to
arouse them.
The words of the poet —
"What's won is done: Joy's soul lies in the doing "^
or, as Longfellow has it —
" The reward is in the doing,
And the rapture of pursuing
Is the prize" —
recurred to me, as explaining why it was that the
people abandoned themselves to the dangerous melan-
choly created by inactivity. I was charmed by it
myself; the senses were fast relapsing into a drowsy
state, that appeared to be akin to the drowsiness of
delirium. No novel or romance interested me, though
Mr. Phillips's cottage possessed a complete library of
fiction and light reading. Dickens seemed rubbish
and the finest poems flat. Frequently, even at meals,
I found myself subsiding into sleep, though I struggled
against it heroically ; wine had no charm for me ;
conversation fatigued me. Yet the love of society,
and what was due to my friendly hosts, acted as a
wholesome restraint and a healthy stimulant; but
what had the poor, untutored black strangers, whose
homes were on the east side of the continent^ to rouse
them and to stimulate them into life ?
" Do you wish to see Zanzibar, boys ?" I asked.
" Ah, it is far. Nay, speak not, master. We shall
never see it,'' they replied.
" But you will die if you go on in this way. Wake
up— shake yourselves — show yourselves to be men."
** Can a man contend with God ? Who fears death ?
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KABINDA. ^ 471
Let us die undisturbed, and be at rest for ever," they is??,
answered. ''''^^^^^'
Brave, faithful, loyal souls ! They were, poor fellows,
surrendering themselves to the benumbing influences
of a Hstlessness and fatal indifference to life ! Four of
them died in consequence of this strange malady at
Loanda, three more on board H.M.S. Industry^ and one
woman breathed her last the day after we arrived at
Zanzibar. But in their sad death, they had one con-
solation, in the words which they kept constantly
repeating to themselves —
" We have brought our master \o the great sea, and
he has seen his white brothers, La il Allah, il Allah ! —
There is no Grod but Grod !" they said — and died.
It is not without an overwhelming sense of grief,
a choking in the throat and swimming eyes, that I
write of those days, for my memory is still busy with
the worth and virtues of the dead. In a thousand fields
of incident, adventure, and bitter trials they had proved
their staunch heroism and their fortitude; they had
lived and endured nobly. I remember the enthusiasm
with which they responded to my appeals ; I re-
member their bold bearing during the darkest days;
I remember the Spartan pluck, the indomitable
courage with which they suffered in the days of
our adversity. Their voices again loyally answer
me, and again I hear them address each other upon
the necessity of standing by the " master.'* Their
boat-song, which contained sentiments similar to the
following : —
"The pale-faced stranger, lonely here,
In cities afar, where his name is dear,
Tour Arab truth and strength shall show;
He trusts in us, row, Arabs, row" —
despite all the sounds which now surround me, still
charms my listening ear.
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472 THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1877. The Expedition, after a stay of eight days at
^"p^^;; 1^7 Kabinda, was kindly taken on board the Portuguese
Lotnda. gunboat Tamegaj Commander Jose Marquez, to San
Paulo de Loanda. The Portuguese officers distin-
guished themselves by a superb banquet, and an
exhibition of extraordinary courtesy towards myself,
and great sympathy towards my followers. Two
gentlemen, Major Serpa Pinto and Senhor Jos6 Avelino
Fernandez, who were on board, extended their hospi-
talities so fer as to persuade me to accompany them to
their residence in the capital of Angola. To house the
114 Wangwana who accompanied me was a great
task on the liberality of these gentlemen, but the
Portuguese Governor-General of Angola nobly released
them and myself from all obligations, and all the
expenses incurred by us from the 21st August to
the 27th September were borne by the colony. One
of the first acts of Governor-General Albuquerque
was to despatch his aide-de-camp with offers of assist-
ance, money, and a gunboat to convey me to Lisbon,
which received, as it deserved, my warmest thanks.
The Portuguese Commodore gave a banquet to the
Portuguese explorers. Major Serpa Pinto, Commander
Brito Capello, and Lieutenant Roberto Ivens, who
were about setting out for the exploration of the
Kunen^ or Nourse river, as far as Bihe, thence to
Lake Nyassa and Mozambique, and upon the festive
occasion they honoured me. The Board of Works at
Loanda also banqueted us royally; as also did Mr.
Michael Tobin, the banker, while Mr. Robert Newton
was unceasing in his hospitalities.
The Government hospital at Loanda was open to the
sick strangers ; Doctor Lopez and his assistants daily
visited thft sick ward of our residence, and a trained
nurse was detailed to attend the suffering. Pure
Samaritanism animated the enthusiastic Senhor Capello,
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SAN FAULO DE LOANDA. 473
and free unselfish charity inspired my friend Avelino is??.
Fernandez to watch and tend the ailing, desponding, g^^. aV
and exhausted travellers. Loanda.
With a generosity unequalled, Serpa Pinto dis-
tributed a large sum of money among them, that they
might be enabled to suit their sick cravings as they
pleased in the markets.
Nor must the English officers of the Royal Navy be
forgotten for their chivalrous kindness. I shall ever
remember Captain Maxwell Heron, of H.M.S. Seagull,
and Captain D. Hopkins^ British Consul, as my friends,
and so also Captain John Childs Purvis, of H.M.S.
Danae, who, when I was wondering whether I should
be compelled to lead the Wangwana across the con-
tinent to their homes, solved my doubts and anxieties
by oflFering the Expedition a passage to Cape Town in
H.M.S. Industry^ Commander R. C. Dyer. The offer
of the Portuguese Grovernor-G-eneral to convey me in
a gunboat to Lisbon, and the regular arrivals of the
Portuguese mail steamers, were very tempting, but the
condition of my followers was 'such that I found it
impossible to leave them. I resolved therefore to
accompany them to the Cape of Grood Hope.
The cordial civilities that were accorded to us at
Loanda were succeeded by equally courteous treatment
on board the Industry. Her officers, Captain Dyer,
Assistant Surgeon William Brown, and Paymaster
Edwin Sandys, assisted me to the utmost of their
ability in alleviating the sufferings of the sick and
reviving the vigour of the desponding. But the
accomplished surgeon found his patients most difficult
cases. The flame of life flickered and spluttered, and
to fan it into brightness required in most of the cases
patience and tact more than medicine. Yet there was
a little improvement in them, though they were still
heavy-eyed.
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474 TEROUQE TEE DARK CONTINENT.
1877. Upon arriving at Simon's Bay, Cape of Good Hope,
October 21. ^j^ the 21st October, I was agreeably surprised by
^j,* a most genial letter, signed by Commodore Francis
William Sullivan, who invited me to the Admiralty
House as his guest, and from whom during the entire
period of our stay at the Cape we met with the
most hearty courtesy and hospitality. He had also
made preparations for transporting the Expedition to
Zanzibar, when a telegram from the Lords of the
British Admiralty was received, authorizing him to
provide for the transmission of my followers to their
homes, an act of gracious kindness for which I have
recorded elsewhere my most sincere thanks.
Had we been able to accept all the invitations that
were showered upon us by the kind-hearted colonists of
South Africa, from Cape Town to Natal, it is possible
we might still be enjoying our holiday at that remote
end of Africa, but 4ier Majesty's ship could not be
delayed for our pleasure and gratification. But during
the time she was refitting, the authorities of Cape
Town and Stellenbosch, through the influence of Lady
Frere, Commodore Sullivan, and Captain Mills, Colonial
Secretary, exerted themselves so zealously to gratify
and honour us, that I attribute a large share of the
recovery in health of my followers to the cordial and
unmistakable heartiness of the hospitalities they there
enjoyed. Here the Wangwana saw for the first
time the "fire-carriage," and, accompanied by Com-
modore Sullivan, the Dean of Cape Town, and several
of the leading residents of the Cape, the Expedition
was whirled to Stellenbosch at the rate of thirty miles
an hour, which, of all the wonders they had viewed,
seemed to them the most signal example of the
wonderful enterprise and superior intelligence of the
European. Lady Frere and Commodore Sullivan
devised several entertainments for the Wangwana;
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Town.
CAPE OF GOOD HOPE. 475
and the *^ Great Lady," as they called Lady Frere, is??,
presented men, women, and children with many ^fef
useful souvenirs of their visit to the Grovernor's jjapc
palace. The Prime Minister, Mr. Molteno, in the
name of the colony, re-clothed them with comfortable
"jerseys," which were suitable and necessary in the
cold and raw climate. A special evening was devoted
to them at the theatre, at which the acrobats received
thunderous applause, the most hearty that was probably
ever accorded them. Nor must I forget the credit due
to the journalists of the metropolis of Cape Colony,
who with unanimous cordiality tendered me and mine
honours such as are worthy of being treasured. But
there was one illustrious figure absent from the festive
occasions to which his presence would have given
echi — ^I mean Sir Bartle Frere. I should have been
glad to have thanked him for the kindness he has
uniformly shown to me, and for his chivalrous defence
of me while absent, and to have shown my followers
the sterling friend of that pious hero whose bones
many of them assisted to carry from the distant camp
on Lake Beraba to the Indian Ocean.
I ought not to omit describing a little episode that
occurred soon after our arrival in Simon's Bay. For
the first three days after landing at Simon's Town,
blustering gales prevented me from returning to the
ship. The people thereupon became anxious, and
wondered whether this distant port was to terminate
my connection with them. On returning to the ship,
therefore, I found them even more melancholy than
when I had left them. I asked the reason.
*' You will return to Ulyah " (Europe), " of course,
now."
" Why r
. ** Oh, do we not see that you have met your friends,
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Town.
476 THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1877. and all these days we have felt that you will shortly
Oct. 21- u^„^ „«0"
Not. 6. I^ave US ?
Cape " Who told you 80 ?*' I asked, smiling at the bitterness
visible in their faces.
" Our hearts ; and they are very heavy.**
" Ah ! And would it please you if I accompanied you
to Zanzibar?"
** Why should you ask, master ? Are you not our
father T
"Well, it takes a long time to teach you to rely
upon the promise of your father. I have told you, over
and over again, that nothing shall cause me to break my
promise to you that I would take you home. You have
been true to me, and I shall be true to you. If we can
get no ship to take us, I will walk the entire distance
with you until I can show you to your friends at
Zanzibar.**
** Now we are grateful, master.**
I observed no sad faces after this day, and Captain
Dyer and his ofiScers noticed how they visibly improved
and brightened up from this time.
On the 6th November H.M.S. Industry was equipped
and ready for her voyage to Zanzibar. To the last
moment the gallant commodore was consistent in his
kindness, and the blue-jacketa of the Active cheered us
heartily as we steered out of Simon's Bay. On the
twelfth of the month the Industry dropped anchor in
the harbour of Natal to coal, and until the fourteenth
the Natal press and the mayor of the city of D'Urban
contributed generously to the courtesies and genial
memories we retain of the rising and prosperous states
of South Africa.
Fourteen days afterwards the palmy island of Zan-
zibar rose into sight, and in the afternoon we were
bearing straight for port.
Digitized
byG00gl(
ZANZIBAR. 4rn
As I looked on the Wangwana, and saw the pleasure is??.
which now filled every soul, I felt myself amply ^®^•^^■
rewarded for sacrificing several months to see them
home. The sick had, all but one, recovered, and
they had improved so much in appearance that few,
ignorant of what they had been, could have supposed
that these were the living skeletons that had reeled
from sheer weakness through Boma.
The only patient who had baffled our endeavours to
restore her to health was the woman Muscati, unfor-
tunate Safeni's wife. Singular to relate, she lived to
be embi'aced by her father, and the next morning
died in his arms, surrounded by her relatives and
friends. But all the others were blessed with redun-
dant health — robust, bright, and happy.
And now the well-known bays and inlets, and spicy
shores and red-tinted bluffs of Mbwenni, enraptured
them. Again they saw what they had often despaired
of seeing : the rising ridge of Wilezu, at the foot of
which they knew were their homes and their tiny
gardens; the well-known features of Shangani and
Melindi ; the tall square mass of the Sultan's palace.
Each outline, each house, from the Sandy Point to
their own Ngambu, each well-remembered bold swell
of land, with its glories of palm and mango-tree, was
to them replete with associations of bygone times.
The captain did not detain them on board. The
boats were all lowered at once, and they crowded the
gangway and ladder. I watched the first boat-load.
To those on the beach it was a surprise to see so
many white-shirted, turbaned men making for shore
from an English man-of-war. Were they slaves — or
what ? No ; slaves they could not be, for they were
too well dressed. Yet what could they be ?
The boat-keel kissed the beach, and the impatient
fellows leaped out and upwards, and danced in ecstasy
Digitized
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478 THBOUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
1877. on the sands of their island ; they then kneeled down.
Not. 26. j^q^^ their faces to the dear soil, and cried out, with
' emotion, their thanks to Allah! To the fall they
now taste the sweetness of the return home. The
glad tidings ring out along the beach, *' It is Bwana
Stanley's expedition that has returned.**
Then came bounding toward them their friends,
acquaintances, countrymen, demanding ever so many
questions, all burning to know all about it. Where
had they been ? How came they to be on board the
man-of-war ? What had they seen ? Who was dead ?
Where is So-and-so ? You have gone beyond Nyangw^
to the other sea ? Mashallah !
The boats come and go.
More of the returned braves land, jump and frisk
about, shake hands, embrace firmly and closely ; they
literally leap into each other's arms, and there are
many wet eyes there, for some terrible tales are told
of death, disaster, and woe by the most voluble of the
narrators, who seem to think it incumbent on them
to tell all the news at once. The minor details, which
are a thousand and a thousand, shall be told to-morrow
and the next day, and the next, and for days and years
to come.
The ship was soon emptied of her strange passengers.
Captain Sullivan, of the London^ came on board, and
congratulated me on my safe arrival, and then I went
on shore to my friend Mr. Augustus Sparhawk's house.
We will pass over whatever may have transpired
among the reunited friends, relatives, acquaintances,
&c., but I will give substantially what Mabi-uki, a
stout, bright-eyed lad, the Nestor of the youths during
the expedition, related of his experiences the next
day.
" Well, Mabruki, tell me, did you see your mother ?"
Mabruki, knowing I have a lively curiosity to know
Digitized
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Nor. 27.
Zanxibar.
JOY OF THE RETURNED. 479
all about the meeting, because be had been sometimes m?.
inclined to despair of seeing poor old " mamma " again,
relaxes the severe tightness of his face, and out of his
eyes there gushes such a flood of light as shows him
to be brimful of happiness, and he hastens to answer,
with a slight bob of the head —
**Yes, master."
" Is she quite well ? How does she look ? What
did she say when she saw her son such a great strong
lad ? Come, tell me all about it."
" I will tell you — but ah ! she is old now. She did
not know me at first, because I burst open the door of
our house, and I was one of the foremost to land, and
I ran all the way from the boat to the house. She was
sitting talking with a friend. When the door opened
she cried out, * Who ? '
** * Mi-mi, ma-ma. It is I, mother. It is I— Mabruki,
mother. It is I, returned from the continent.'
" * What ! Mabruki, my son !'
" * Verily it is I, mother.'
" She could scarcely believe I had returned, for she
had heard no news. But soon all the women round
about gathered together near the door, while the house
was full, to hear the news ; and they were all crying
and laughing and talking so fast, which they kept up
far into the night. She is very proud of me, master.
When the dinner was ready over twenty sat down to
share with us. * Oh ! ' they all said, * you are a man
indeed, now that you have been farther than any Arab
has ever been.' **
Four days of grace I permitted myself to procure
the thousands of rupees required to pay off the people
for their services. Messages had also been sent to the
relatives of the dead, requesting them to appear at
Mr. Sparhawk's, prepared to make their claims good
by the mouths of three witnesses.
Digitized
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480 THROUGH THE DABK CONTINENT.
1877. On the fifth morning the people — men, women, and
^^ ^' children — of the Anglo-American Expedition, attended
by hundreds of friends, who crowded the street and
the capacious rooms of the Bertram Agency, began to
receive their well-earned dues.
The women, thirteen in number, who had borne
the fatigues of the long, long journey, who had
li'ansformed the stern camp in the depths of the wilds
into something resembling a village in their own
island, who had encouraged their husbands to continue
in their fidelity despite all adversity, were all rewarded.
The children of the chiefs who had accompanied us
from Zanzibar to the Atlantic, and who, by their
childish, careless prattle, had often soothed me in
mid-Africa, and had often caused me to forget my
responsibilities for the time, were not forgotten.
Neither were the tiny infants — ushered into the world
amid the dismal and tragic scenes of the cataract
lands, and who, with their eyes wide open with wonder,
now crowed and crooned at the gathering of happy
men and elated women about them — omitted in this
final account and reckoning.
The second pay-day was devoted to hearing the
claims for wages due to the faithful dead. Poor faithftil
souls ! With an ardour and a fidelity unexpected, and
an immeasurable confidence, they had followed me to
the very death. True, negro nature had often asserted
itself, but it was after all but human nature. They had
never boasted that they were heroes, but they ex-
hibited truly heroic stuflF while coping with the varied
terrors of the hitherto untrodden and apparently endless
wilds of broad Africa.
The female relatives filed in. With each name of
the dead, old griefs were remembered. The poignant
sorrow I feU. — as the fallen were named after each
successive conflict in those dark days never to be
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Zanzibar*
THE MABTYB8 TO GEOGBAPIIT. 481
forgotten by me — was revived. Sad and subdued were is:?.
the faces of those I saw, as sad and subdued as my ^^\]^'
own feelings. With such sympathies between us we
soon arrived at a satisfactory understanding. Each
woman was paid without much explanation required —
one witness was sufficient. There were men, however,
who were put to great shifts. They appeared to have
no identity. None of my own people would vouch
for the relationship ; no respect^\ble man knew them.
Several claimed money upon the ground that they
were acquaintances ; that they had been slaves under
one master, and had become freemen together on their
master's death. Parents and true brothers were not
difficult to identify. The settlement of the claims
lasted five days, and then — the Anglo- American
Expedition was no more.
On 13th December the British India Steam Naviga-
tion Company's steamer Pachumba sailed from Zanzibar
for Aden, on board which Mr. William Mackinnon had
ordered a state-room for me. My followers through
Africa had all left their homes early that they might
be certain to arrive in time to witness my departure.
They were there now, every one of them arrayed in
the picturesque dress of their countrymen. The fulness
of the snowy dishdasheh and the amplitude of the
turban gave a certain dignity to their forms, and each
sported a light cane. Upon inquiring I ascertained
that several had already purchased handsome littlo
properties — houses and gardens — with their wages,
proving that the long journey had brought, with its
pains and rough experience, a good deal of thrift and
wisdom.
When I was about to step into the boat, the brave,
faithful fellows rushed before me and shot the boat
into the sea, and then lifted me up on their heads and
carried me through the surf into the boat.
VOL. II. — 31
Digitized
byG00gl(
Zanzibar.
482 TEROUQH TEE DARK CONTINENT.
1877. We shook hands twenty times twenty, I think, and
Dec 13. ^Y^^^ ^^ i^g^ ^^^ Y)02ii started.
I saw them consult together, and presently saw them
run down the beach and seize a great twenty-ton
lighter, which they soon manned and rowed after me.
They followed me thus to the steamer, and a deputation
of them came on board, headed by the famous Uledi,
the coxswain ; Kach^ch^ the chief detective ; Robert,
my indispensable factotum ; Zaidi, the chief, and Wadi
llehani, tlie storekeeper, to inform me that they still
considered me as their master, and that they would
not leave Zanzibar until they received a letter from
me announcing my safe arrival in my own country.
I had, they said, taken them round all Africa to bring
them back to their homes, and they must know that I
had reached my own land before they would go to seek
new adventures on the continent, and — simple, generous
souls ! — that if I wanted their help to reach my country
they would help me!
They were sweet and sad momenta, those of parting.
What a long, long and true friendship was here sun-
dered ! Through what strange vicissitudes of life had
they not followed me ! What wild and varied scenes
had we not seen together ! What a noble fidelity these
untutored souls had exhibited ! The chiefs were those
who had followed me to Ujiji in 1871 ; they had been
witnesses of the joy of Livingstone at the sight of me ;
they were the men to whom I entrusted the safeguard
of Livingstone on his last and fatal journey, who
had mourned by his corpse at Muilala, and borne
the illustrious dead to the Indian Ocean.
And in a flood of sudden recollection, all the stormy
period here ended rushed in upon my mind ; the whole
panorama of danger and tempest through which these
gallant fellows had so staunchly stood by me — these
gallant fellows now parting from me. Rapidly, as
Digitized
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LAU8 DEO I 483
in some apocsUyptic vision, every scene of strife with is??.
Man and Nature through which these poor men and ?*^.^'
women had borne me company, and solaced me by
the simple sympathy of common suflFering, came hurry-
ing across my memory ; for each face before me was
associated with some adventure or some peril, reminded
me of some triumph or of eome loss. What a wild,
weird retrospect it was, that mind's flash over the
troubled past ! So like a troublous dream !
And for years and years to come, in many homes
in Zanzibar, there will be told the great story of our
journey, and the actors in it will be heroes among their
kith and kin. For me, too, they are heroes, these poor
ignorant children of Africa, for, from the first deadly
struggle in savage Ituru to the last staggering rush
into Embomma, they had rallied to my voice like
veterans, and in the hour of need they had never failed
me. And thus, aided by their willing hands and by
their loyal hearts, the Expedition had been successful,
and the three great problems of the Dark Continent's
geography had been fairly solved,
Laus Deo!
Digitized
byG00gl(
Digitized
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APPENDIX.
SIMPLE BULES FOB PBONOUNCING APEICAN WOEDS.
Tlio letter ti, when beginning or ending a word, is sounded like oo^ or the French
ott, thus : Uchungu — Onchnngou, or Ouchungoo.
^ „ Oj whether at tlie oommenoement, middle, or termination of a word«
soonds like dht thus : Asama, or A^«"^'"«^^^r
tf )9 0i either commenoing or terminating a word, as in the Tomba word
^wur^ sounds like ehwureh.
^ I* ^ when begintiing a word, as in the Kinyamwezi term iM, sounds like
i in the English words if, is, it, in, ill ; when it terminates the
word, t has the shortened sound of ea ; thus, i&d, with a phoneticul
exactitude, would be spelled ifeesee.
The consonant M used as a prefix, as in Mtu, has a shortened sound of Um.
The South Aftiean colonists, I observe, invariably spe 1 tliis abbreviate<l sound
as Um, as in Umtata, Umgeni, Umzila, which travellers in Equatuiial Africa
would spell Mtata, Mgeni, Mzila.
The prefix Ki, as in Ki-Swahili or &i-Sagara, denotes language of Swaliili or
Fagara. The prefix U represeuts country; Wa, a plur&l, deuoting people; M,
sin^ulur, for a person, thus : —
U— Sagara. Country of Sagaiii.
Wa — Sagara. People of Sagara.
M — Sagara. A peison of Sf^ara.
Ki — Sa^^ara. Language of Sagara, or after the custom, manner, or
style of Sagara, ns Knglish stands in l.k6 manner
for anything relating to England.
Digitized
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486
TBEOUQE TEE DARK CONTINENT.
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iess
li
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SSSSeSSSSiii
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i 3 s 3 a
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COMPARATIVE TABLE OF AFRICAN LANOUAOES.
487
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488
THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
^f IF » Sf i C bJ>< I
f a
P^ J Ji a,^^ :
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COMPABATIVE TABLE OF AFBICAN LANGUAGES. 489
sis'? §1 5 & S^ ^tX P S-s 1 1 llil •! § I s^i 'i'5 § i § «l s i gl.>a i S l?l-3 a j | §"8 sj4
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490
THROUOH TEE DARK CONTINENT.
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Ill Ill ll fills . .||ll . .I^li . ..1
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COMPARATIVE TABLE OF AFRICAN LANGUAGES.
491
hS "Si 'ff 'sa "ojs 'Jas •■siaa^fl • •^aai '^s c 'a^
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492
TEROUQH TEE DARK CONTINENT.
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COMPARATIVE TABLE OF AFRICAN LANaUAOES.
493
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351
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494
THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
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COMPABATITE TABLE OF AFRICAN LANQUAQES,
495
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496
TBROUan THE DARK CONTINENT.
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COMPARATIVE TABLE OF AFRICAN LANQUAQE8.
497
^*^ lis
aa
P "^ ^ St
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VOL. II. — 32
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498
THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
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COMPARATIVE TABLE OF AFRICAN LANOUAOES.
499
III 1 ■ ■ 1111
|X:::::::::::f||J|||
I
llilimii-ll
I II
I
li
•i
III I «-
4il
si fa
2
I si 8
if!?
^&*
III
.^
1^
iaif
•:&i
.1^.
islilliiiiyiilliliilllillilliiiliiilliiilli^^^^
|.
Digitized
byG00gl(
50U
TEBOUGH THE DARK COSTLSEST.
3 7i « tf"* «
ill
^A
w .if
-« =1111
fcf «. IC s-
Hill
5 "^
^ -52
' 5-
: tc z
j=2
•frli
III
I -5 JI c c-
J 2 e 5 c = 2
ia-^-i-T
§ ? s = i
S5"S • '5
11
.^E-:
"L^
i t
I •
!.I*S--
Digitized
byG00gl(
COMPARATIVE TABLE OF AFBICAN LANQUAQES.
501
^
^
5'2 ' "?
ill
i I
I I
9 o J^ . " « »* ft* :S b 5 5
I
«0 O q3 al
3 ' -^
-&
11
.11
2 u>«
§-&
-I
«8-a
I
3?
1^
1^3
111
I 'lif Jiiil It
gS'al i
i
1 = 1
li
1
•i
Digitized
byG00gl(
502
THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
o
H
O
S
g
^^
H M
^ 2
1 s
2 >
CQ
o o
2 w
50Q
g "
u *
s
•<
fill
1:1
•Altitudes of Altitnd<8of
Lake Victoria, L. Vict ria.
Altitndec of Uike
Tangnnika.
t*- -^ O 01 0> d ?0 «0 ?0 W rH O ^«^ C^C^QO'Hej t»
<g^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^OCQ C4C404C4C4 04
G4 CM (M Ol C4 C>l
O O
C4 C4
00
e4C4 C4
00O<^ OOOOrHOOO O) 09
io o o «o «o o »n o »o »o to
CO OCiOOOOOOOO
C>ICMCMC<IC4C4GMC4C4CMC4
oc:o ooooo o o
C4CMe^ C4C4GMCMC4 Ol C4
«OCDO
'«* ,-J
: 4) :
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© ► •si
I :-:-.
08
t _- 5 © fl S'„
.•if !•= pi^
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o 0^0
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§«^
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boc 3
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a
^
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eoco'-'o
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aoo)
eo^^^^o
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^ f-4
I
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10
May
Oct
Deo.
1
1
=1
i
•-a
: : :
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•
•
Digitized
byG00gl(
ALTITUDES OF IMPORTANT POSITIONS.
503
Altitudes of Lake Tanganlka.
i (N 94 94 C4 04 C9 ei
c^Sic
^ »H c^ oa 1^ o
<0«0«0 1-1 o
©« X^ C^ « Cq « W M W 0< ©I IH fH II »H
ti|>oct^SSoooot^t-i>t^t*»t*
00a)0CI^I>5000Q0Q00P^OO
ooooooooooooo
04©4WC^«MCM©4C^04C^(?>4WC^
1
t sa
I'C g c §
. . .§|8
04
s
C4
•o
04
C3 O OOO O rH
Sc4O40404 04 04
■^
-S -8
•a Q
I t I
©004
*^OJ©4
OOOO
I I i
OU)04
Hi
S 00
OiHOO
I I I
OO04
Ol C4 04
•g
"5
c
5
Digitized
byG00gl(
604
THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
Altitudes or the following Placks, oouputed bt Three
Methods.
Dates.
1877
Mar.
3
Oct
20
June
3
t •
5
July
2
Nov.
2
Apr.
11
July
10
PLACn.
Regnaolfi
Tttblci.
Bipon Falla
Ujiji, Lake Tunganika .
Ujiji, Lake TaDganikii .
Lake Tanganika .. |
Nyangw€ .. •• ■
Stanley Pool
(One mile above Cataract river,'! j
\ Bouud Island Hapiiis .. ../
Mbewa below the Eionzo Kapidd
Southern 1|
extremity j
Feet
4247
•
4093
2942
2718
2840
2077
1147
1050
692
BySraff-
Oommiinder
G«orge'8
Method.
Thuil Iter's
Tablet-.
By
Lteat.-OoL
Buil<>au'8
llethod.&c
Feeu
4184
3973
2916
2780
2823
2023
1126
902
656
Feet.
4125
3950
2853
2696
2758
2023
1113
1018
674
Digitized
byG00gl(
TABLE OF F08ITI0N8.
605
Positions of the following Plages.
Dates.
1874.
Dec
13
15
18
1 ♦
81
1875. 1
Jan.
9
. ^
15
, ,
22
^ ,
30
Feb.
3
, ,
11
« 1
18
24
, ^
25
Mar.
7
, ,
9
, ^
10
» »
11
} 1
18
t f
19
• >
20
22
» «
25
28
April 2 1
^ ,
10
,.
17
, ,
17
« 1
20
Nov
17
,
19
Apra21 1
^ ,
22
..
23
..
24
25
1 1
30
May
2
1 »
4
8
Dec
13
, ^
14
• »
16
27
1876.
Jan.
4
Places.
Mpwapwa, Utagara ..
Chunyu
Cbikombo, Ugogo .. ..
Mukundokn, Ugogo ..
Uveriveil
Suna
Vinyata
Mgongo Tembo
Verge of Lii\^amb6rn Plain
Moinbiti UsukuujH
Uflilia,E
S. Usmau
Gombachika
Kaj^ehyi, Lake Victoria
Natwari Island
Bay soutb of Iraraba ..
BpekeGulf
Igrngi .. ..
Ibland in Urieri Bay ..
Shirati
Twin Islands
Ngevi Island
Mombiti
Buka
Mtc-sa's Camp
Usuvura
fS. extremity of Murcbi^on's
i Buy
Cape Bujaju, N. bide ..
Nakavija .. .. •..
Jamba's Cuve
Dumo
Isimgu
Buj;avu
Wtza
6 miles S. of Koprya ..
Makongo, Uzoti^ora ..
Muaira Inland, N. s de
Refuj?e Island
E. end of Komeli Island ..
8. endofWini
Kagebyl
Musovorva
My<.iii)^-Gambui
Ruwewa
W. of Wakatbi river .. ..
LoDgitudea.
8^6
36
36
35
35
35
35
34
34
83
33
33
33
83
:h3
33
83
33
83
34
34
34
33
32
82
32
82
32
31
31
81
81
31
31
82
83
33
31
31
31
31
26 E.
21 ,
4 ,
14 .
2 .
11 .
2 ,
84 ,
12 ,
68 ,
48 .
27 ,
17 ,
14 .
28 ,
29 ,
54 ,
43 ,
49 ,
17 .
37 .
10 .
47 .
5s ,
41 .
37 ,
18 E.
7 ,.
49 .,
45 .,
57 E.
58 .,
67 ..
67 ,.
41 E.
1 ..
14 ..
28 ..
31 .,
29 ,,
13 .,
D.R. or I
Obser- I
vation.
Latitudes.
D.R. or
Obier-
vation.
Obd.
Obi
Obs.
Obs.
Buoko, Unyoro | 80 61 .,
6 17 8
6 14 ,
6 8 .
6 16 .
3i; ,
20 .
60 .
44 ,
37 ,
0 ,
8 38 ,
2 .'.0 .
33 .
21 .
23 ,
20 .
15 ,
1 2S ,
1 27 .
1 9 ,
0 28 .
0 10 N.
0 12 .
0 12 .
0 21 ,
0 16 ,
0 5 ,
14 S.
9 N.
5 S,
33 ,
40 ,
56 ,
2 ,
9 ,
15 ,
17 ,
8 ,
8 ,
2 N.
5 ,
9 .
10 ,
Obs.
D.R.
ObB.
D.R.
Obs.
D.R.
Obs.
D.R.
Obs.
D.h.
Obs.
D.R.
Obs.
D.R.
Obs.
D.R.
Obs.
D.U.
Oba.
D.B.
0 8,.
Digitized
byGoogk
606 THBOUQH THE DARK CONTINENT.
PosinoHg ov THx FOLLOWING Plaoks — cojUinued.
Dtte*.
1876.
Jan. 7
,. 10
,. 21
,, 23
Feb. 5
Mar. 2
,. 7
.. 8
.. 10
.. II
.. 12
., 28
April 3
June 5
.. 15
,, 16
,. 18
,. 19
„ 20
., 21
.. 23
.. 24
,. 25
,. 26
.. 27
,. 28
., 29
30
1
2
'6
July
5
6
7
8
9
II
13
14
15
16
20
22
23
PlacM.
lioogitwles.
W. Benga
Uzimba (
Kitera, Ufrmla ;
KiMOtfi (Wtist Base) .. . ;
Karogawa, or Chanizawa ..
(UuiDanika'fl lake, K ddeV
Winderraere |i
Village of Kazin^ti
2| roilen N. of Kazlnga on)
river )|
30
HO
31
31
31
2 milef N. of Unjamnbii-
laland ]
Lake Ihema
Kazinga. Lake Windermere
J South extreme central armi
1 ofUhimba f
Morurama, or Kafurra's
Ug.»y or Ugoi, Ujiji .. ..
3^ miles S. of Sigunga Islautl
Soatbem beach ot Urimba..
Karinzi Point
Ulambnla
Kabogo Island
( 1 mile off Bu;;ufa, R by S.\
( from Ponda'd /l
/Conical Hill, Bnhingu, &R\'
I bya, /*
W. of Earema .. .
Kipeodi Point .. ,
Mpimbw^ cape ..
Mwekayan*^
/Frum Mtod to Bliiamba\
t Island /
Wanpemb^
From Zinga river
Kirangw^ cape
Kantamba Point
From Still Cove
TKapala rivt-r, S. end of Lakei
\ Tanjrnnika /
From Mwun gala
From Umisepa
Bufuvu river
Kasawa Point
Mapota
Kawer^
Mount Mummbi
10 miles 8. of Muganza ..
South of Mirembw^ cape . .
MuutU of Lukuga river
Kirindi Island
3 miles N. of Eawasindil
Island /
Mkizamba, Goma
30
31
31
30
30
30
30
30
30
87
17
80
37
22
31 0
30 59 E.
30 55
30 88
51
5
2
57
0
31 10
31
31
HI
;u
81
31
31
31
30
30
80
30
12
14
18
25
27
22
13
8
53
53
86
88
29 48 £.
29
29
29
86 E.
50 ,,
83 .,
D.R.flr
0b*er.
▼aUoiL
Oba.
Obs.
Obs.
Obs.
Utitndet.
7 8.
18 N.
0
57 8.
89 ,,
38 ,.
40 ,,
53 .,
50 .,
38 .,
2
6 ..
2
27 ,,
4
55 ,,
5
H3 ,.
5
48 ,,
6
0 ,,
6
21 .\
6
25 ,,
6
30 ,.
6
45 ,.
6
55 ,,
7
0 ,,
7
2 ,,
7
32 ,,
7
43 .,
7
52 ,,
7
55 ,,
8
13 ,,
8
28 :,
8
85 ,,
8
47 ,,
8
45 ,,
8
32 ,,
8
82 ,,
8
22 ,,
7
55 ,,
7
41 ,,
6
55,,
6
37 ,,
6
8 ,,
5
55 .,
5
44 ..
5
27 ..
5
12 ..
lD.R.or
I Ob-er-
TtttftOO.
Obs.
D.B.
Obs.
D.B.
Ob^
* •
Obs.
D.B.
Oba.
D.R.
Obs.
DR.
Oba.
I>.R
Obs.
Digitized
byG00gl(
TABLE OF POSITIONS. 507
PosmoNB ov THE FOLLOWING ThkOBB —coiUinued.
DatM.
1876.
July 24
,. 25
.. 26
.. 27
,, 29
Aug. 2
., 28
Sept 3
25
28
29
1
2
5
8
15
17
20
25
26
27
8
9
12
14
16
18
Oct
Not.
19
24
27
PlaoM.
6 miles S. of Musama . ,
3 miles N. of Kas^anza
3 miles 8. of Eiukwe .
E. side of Ubwari
Eikamba >
Opposite Eiunm..
Eioga c
Ugoy.Ujiji
(Mouth of Malagarazi riyer.\
Lake Tanganika
M'sehazy Haven . .
Arab crossing-place .
Mulolwa's
Kumbila
Walumbu
Kajunju
Kagongwtf
Uhombo
Ea-Bambarr€
Eabnngw^
Mpungu
MwanaAIamba ..
Benangongo
Kankumba
Nyangw^ .. .. * .
Mpotira
Kianga
Mirimo
Wan^ Raman kua . .
Wun^ Kirumbu ..
Kampunzu
TRukombeh's crossing,
\ ingstone river . .
Mouth of Ruiki river .
N.E. bend confluence of little
river B. of Hilly Ridge
Loogitades.
Llv-j
29
29
29
29
29
29
29
30
30
80
29
29
28
28
28
28
28
27
27
26
26
26
26
26
26
26
26
26
26
25
ley
25
25
21 E,
22
81
28
30
21
50
9
27
20
48
5
42
88
80
22
9
55
19
50
84
24
17
16
25
18
17
5
0
53
S3 E.
82 ,,
n.R.or
Ob^er-
vatioQ.
lAUtodM.
Obt.
Obs.
56 S.
35
H4
3
22
4 10
4 54
5 15
27
48
3<
13
7
2
53
43
32
36
48
31
22
20
15
6
0
3 50
3 48
3 42
8 37
8 34
3 26
8 20
D.B.Qr
Olieer.
vatioo.
Obs.
DJL
Obs.
DJEL
Obs.
D.R.
Obs.
Obs.
D.E.
Digitized
byG00gl(
508
TEROUQH THE DARK CONTINENT.
Latitudes bt Obsebvation of the followinq Plages on the
Livingstone Bivee.
Dates.
1876.
Nov.
20
Dec.
2
7
12
16
9 9
20
f y
30
1 )
31
1877.
Jan.
1
• f
2
> »
4
9 }
18
9 )
20
9 >
28
9 9
26
99
28
9 »
29
Fek
31
1
» »
3
> f
4
9 9
5
99
6
99
8
99
10
PUces.
., 11
,. 12
,, 13
,. 1*
,, 15
,, 17
,, 18
,, 22
,, 23
,, 24
,. 25
,. 26
filarch 1
,, 9
,, 10
., 11
,, 12
April 26
July 26
,, 28
Liyingstone river, Rukombeh'a, 2nd obfl. ..
S. end of Mionga Island
Ikondu, opposite Ulikira, Uziri
Unya-Nsing^
Kimburu
Vinj'a Njara
N. of Uriiuli river affluent of Livingstt^ne
Uninhabited luland
S. end of Uninhabited Island
Amu Nyam
1st Cataract, Stanley Falls
5tii Cataract, , .
6th Cataract, ,,
Below the 6th Cataract, Stanley Falls
S. end of 7th Catamct,
N.W. of the 7th Cataract, Stanley Falls ..
1 mile above Kitaruba
6 miles N.W. of Mawemb^
9 miles S. of Aruwimi river .. * ..
Among the Liknds of the Livingstone
Rubuiiga, in Nganza
Urangi (near)
/Near Ukataraka, 20 miles W. of noon of^
\ the 10th )
20 miles W. of noon ot the 11th .. ..
Marunja
Maiigala ..
S.W. of Mangala
f N. confluence of Ikelemba with the Living-^
i\ stone /
Irebu
Among the islands
Opposite MompnrtMigi village
Among the islands
Chnmhiri
6 mile8 below Ibari Xkntu ..
Ntlanilenjoko, rii^ht lank ..
Sin*;le Palm Point
Entrance to the S ton ley Pool
Cnmp above Inkibi Falls ..
Itnnzima Falls
Below rapids above Kilolo ..
Latitades.
01)^-
▼atioD.
1 3b S.
Obs.
3 7.,
^ ^
2 58 ,,
, ,
2 49 ,,
2 36 ,,
2 18 ,,
1 43 ;
1 20 ,,
f 1
1 10 ,.
0 52 ,,
0 32 ,,
0 23 ,,
0 2,,
0 4 N.
0 15 ,,
0 20 ,,
0 22 ,,
0 36 ,,
0 50 ,.
, ^
1 29 ,,
1 46 ,,
1 51 ,,
1 52 ,,
1 41 ,,
1 36 ,,
9 9
1 41 ,,
»9
1 86 ,,
1 28 ,,
17,,
0 58 .,
0 19 ,,
9 9
0 18 S.
» 9
0 51 ,,
1 23 ,,
1 37 ,,
1 59 ,,
2 24 .,
2 48 ,,
8 20 , ,
3 37 ,,
3 52 ,,
4 6,,
4 39 ,,
5 9,,
5 19 ,,
9 9
Digitized
byGoogh
AFBIOAN OUEBENCY.
509
Aprioan Currbnoy.
A List ov Afrioan Cloths and Beads, with the Zanzibar Priors.
Nambs or Cloth.
Mcriknni
Chicks, or Kunguni ..
Sohari Ulyah
Kumbisa Mpunga
D.ibwani Ulyah, dark blue
Dabwani Ulyah, light blue ..
Burm Ulyah
Barsiiti Euba
Biirsnti Mdogo
Kanga doth (Guinea Fowl cloth) .
Kikoi
I.^so, or Handkerchiefs. 2 doti .
Kuniki Kuba
Kaniki Mdogo
Kikoi, Binal]
Dabwani ^
Ismuili „
Bumih n
Soliari „
Sat)aiya
Satinl. 9 lbs. per Gorah
Quantity
per
Gozah
» •
Eorjah
Gorah
Dole. cts.
2
0
20
21
17
21
17
7
12
10
1
.•)0
75
0
0
0
0
0
13 25
50
0
0
70
14 25
11 0
7 50
50
50
50
50
18 50
2 75
Beads.
Snmf Samf
Gulabyo. pink
DudyOf small, wliite ..
Kanyt-ra. lar;?o. white
Lungio Kega, blue, small ,
Kadunduguru, or Lakyo ,
Mutunda, blue
Katchyo, green
Dols. cts.
Frasilah
10 50
8 50
6 0
4 50
6 25
4 50
3 25
3 25
Digitized
byG00gl(
610
THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.
en
P
s
<
a
s
H
a
H
s
^-!
Is
H i-r
H S
i|
< H
^ O
On
S s
gg
P
O
H
22
6mS3
*l If
i
s
I
>
'3 S -o ^ ^ ■=
OQWQOct
3 - -
ll "
i> oa mC "^
^ **^ CO ^ 1-^
^d-^'s
•^•^•^S
9) » » S ^ gS
1
^21 :g|l|f :
lllll
'illli
^<N«^«^t^ooo>o^222i:22&22§53g?5S;SS&S§SSSa
Digitized
byG00gl(
LIST OF DEATHS IN THE EXPEDITION.
511
I
>
.to
•c
I
00
'I
:«5
I
d
-a
J
1^
^
' a s o
oc5p
s
Jill-
MOOdoQ
J
'lit
baa
J
-I
1
9
B : :
=1
5
p g S ^
•I
' N
I
^1 %
411 I ^
"S
Digitized
byG00gl(
610
THROUGH THE DAJRK CONTINENT.
Pi
p
H
H
P
s
H
a
H
s
goo
-< .
S S
(4
H
t
§
I
D
H ^
^ O
H ^
5 »
OtSJ
Q
5
H
P
h
O
H
a
I
1
I
si
3dtL
it
t3 ^!
O Q n Q O GQ
Je3
&?""•:
22 '
• •« d} o
V ■> a^ fls "-> aS
1-
III a^|§§
'III '
OS «3
i
C.5
llll ll^l-^ila-^Jll^l illl ^111 ilfl f ^-il
lll^lllllljggla^jjlllljllgllll^al
Digitized
byG00gl(
LIST OF DEATHS IN THE EXPEDITION.
511
I I
^ S " " C 9 •
*q ^ p Sb » ""-^
•ail
i o
•'lib s-i-s-M
o-5^ 5 a 2 a
I
Gu9^ 5 a 2 a
OOQ MOQdoQ
- 1
1
9
^ ^ : :5o
.B
"i^
fi
:g:::
:J
•jl "lallrfJl - J a 1^1
I '4t§lp
P
Digitized
byG00gl(
512
TDROUGH THE DABK CONTINENT.
I
o
s
•J
o
H
S
H
•<
O —
5 I
C
< ?
C ® t-
ft. O K .
s ^- -
" ^ c c 1
k^xiS<;;h
5i
= c J c i :S —
:^
^ • z z r
*e: :
J3
3 »
II
.a
S
** ^ «i^
or- « . ^
f f^ - - -
cc X
c4 -i: -
« ©< ei S
<:xai
i.x^ ^^S
6 'H,.4 ;!N;2ii5C5§ ;i5
>g
^
c
p
00
3
vik
'3
E
n'5
Hi
es
1
■r
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LIST OF DEATHS IN THE EXPEDITION.
513
1
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VOL. n.— 33
^^coioeooOfHio I 00
6SS3 «--«'«-' |«
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3
Digitized by VjOOQIC
514
TEEOUQE THE DARK CONTINENT.
A List ov thb Msn, Wohsn, and Ohildbeh bbtubhed to Zanzibab.
Name.
BADk.
1. Manwa Sera . .
2. Kaoh^ch^ ..
& Ohowpezeh ..
i. Zaidi .. ..
5. Bukhet .. ..
6. Wadi Behani
7. Habruki the elder
8. XJledi
9. Shumari ••
10. Saywa .. ..
11. Mpwapwa
12. Wadi Baraka
13. Mnrabo ..
14. ^larzonk
15. Robert Femzi
16. Mambu ..
17. Akida .. ..
18. Matiko .. ..
19. Nubi .. ..
20. Uledi Muscat!
21. Khamis M£akeh
22. Uledi Pangani
23. Hatib .. ..
24. Jaffari .. ..
25. Mdarama
26. Muini Hassan
27. Muini Pembe
28. Muini Kioogw^
29. Mabruk Furjalla
80. Kiwonda
31. Muscati .. ..
32. Mabruk UBagaia
33. Wadi Ambuii
of
Chief captain.
Oaptain.
Oaptain.
Oaptain.
Oaptain.
Captain.
Captain.
I Coxswain
t boat
Boat-boy.
Boat-boy.
Boat-boy.
Boat-boy.
Boat-boy.
Boat-boy.
Boat-boy.
Boat-boy.
Boat-boy.
Boat-boy.
Escort
Escort
Escort.
Escort
Escort.
Escort
Escort
Escort
Escort
Escort
Escort
Escort
Escort
Escort
Escort
Bank.
34. Behani .. ..
35. Mabruki Makna . .
36. Faijalla .. ..
37. Sabori
38. Femzi Zachariah
39. Zambarao ..
40. Eiranyo .. ..
41. Ifaganga .. ..
42. TTamdallah .. ..
43. Khamis .. ..
44. Wadi AU .. ..
45. Abdalla .. ..
46. Uledi Eaif B[alleck
47. Miori
48. Khamis
49. Bori
50. Musa
51. Leehigh
52. Femzi 2d. Zachariah
53. HabnikThuwaynee
54. WadiMufta
55; Sungoro
56. Bamaddan ••
57. Bakari
58. BOaU
59. Xsmaili Saburi
60. Alsass
61. Abedi
62. Fu^Fusa .. .
6a Mpati
64. Khami.s Mbuzi .
65. Toufiki .. .
66. Zudi Bufiji
67. Mana Kdco..
Escort
Escort
Escort
Escort
Escort
Escort
Escort
Escort
Escort
Porter.
Porter.
Porter.
Porter.
Portw.
Porter.
Porter.
Porter.
Porter.
Porter.
Porter.
Porter.
Porter.
Porter.
Porter.
Porter.
Porter.
Porter.
Porter.
Porter.
Porter.
Porter.
Porter.
Porter.
Porter.
Digitized
byG00gl(
U8T OF SUBVirOBS.
515
A List ov thb Men, Womsn, and Ohildbbn bstubnsd to
Zanzibab — conHnued.
Name.
Bank.
68. Ibrahim .. ..
69. Jumah Mashiwa ..
70. Feruzi Kaif Halleck
71. Sa'adi
72. Mekrani .. •.
73. SondiTuru .. ..
74. Muftuha .. ..
75. Waziri
76. Mrori
77. Eada
78. Mabruki
79. BilaU, ..
80. Gurshen
81. Majwara
82. Kassim ..
83. Benni ..
84. Eatenibo
85. Marzouk
86. Hari
87. Mojariwa
88. Faijalla ..
Porter.
Porter.
Porter.
Porter.
Porter.
Porta.
Port«r.
Porter.
Porter,
r Drummer
89. Ja
youth.
Gim-bearer.
Gun-bearer.
Gun-bearer.
Gun-bearer.
Gun-bearer.
Gun-bearer.
Interpreter.
Cook.
Cook's mate.
Servant
r(Hanwa Sera's
\ servant)
/(Manwa Sera's
\ child:)
Num.
90. AkillMali ..
91. Msokeh .. ..
92.BibiM8^
93. BintRamazan
94. Muscati's
95. Mana Eoko's
96. BintEhamis..
97. HatiVs .. ..
98. Nampa .. ..
99. Ghowpereh's ..
100. Zaidi's .. ..
101. Murabo's
102. Eiwonda's
103. Bint Tonga ..
104. Robert's
105. BintSalain ..
106. lianyanga ..
107. Each^ch^s ..
108. Musoati's
R«nk.
/(Safeni's
child.)
/.WadiRehani's
[. child.)
f<Manwa Sera's
[ wife.)
KWadiBaraka'i
\ wife.)
(Wife.)
(Wife.)
/(Mfakeh's
\ wife.)
(Wife.)
[(Wadi Reba-
\ ni's wife.)
(Wifa)
(Wife.)
(Wife.)
(Wife.)
(Feruzi'swife.)
(Wife.)
( Muini Pem-
\ b^s wife.)
/(Eiwonda's in-
\ fantchad.)
<Infimt child.)
(InfjEmt child.)
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516
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TABLE OF WANDEBINQB IN AFRICA.
517
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619
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621
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TABLE OF WANDERINGS IN AFRICA.
523
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TABLE OF WANDERmaS IN AFRICA.
625
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527
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531
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533
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TABLE OF WANDERINGS IN AFRICA.
537
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TABLE OF WANDERINQa IN AFRICA.
589
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541
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TABLE OF WANDERINGS IN AFEIOA.
543
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TABLE OF WANDERINGS IN AFRICA.
545
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TABLE OF WANDERINOS IN AFRICA.
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TABLE OF WANDERINGS IN AFRICA. 549
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TABLE OF WANDERINGS IN AFBIOA.
551
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INDEX TO VOL. IL
Abdallah, alias Muini Kibwani,
128-9, 136-7, 151; bin Suliman,
7-8.
Abdul Aziz, late Sultan of Turkey,
120.
Abed, son of Jnmah, 99, 129, 218 ; Abed
bin Salim, 116-19, 360.
Abrus precatortua, 228.
Acacia, 21-24, 139, 365.
AcJialtna moneSxria, 134-6 ; fossil
shell, 218, 228.
Akalunga, village of slavers, 40.
Albert lake, 275.
Albinoes, 440-1.
Alexandra lake, 275.
Ali Kibopa, 437.
Aloes, 366.
Amina, wife of Kacliech6, 810.
Amoma, 131, 230, 350.
Amphibia, 92-4— sec ** Hippopotamus,'*
&c
Amn-Nyam villages, 112, 210-11, 216-
17.
Anacardium occideniah, 865.
Antelope, 29, 81, 106, 1^5, 238, 326,
415.
Ant-lion, 205.
Ants, 121, 138, 208, 285, 810; for sale,
106.
Arabs, 2, 4, 7 (Mswabili), 9, 22, 54,
62, 66, 69, 80.
Arachis ht/pogcea, 862.
Arms — of Ujiji, 4; Manyema, 81, 87-8,
121; Uregga, 141, 146; of the
Livingstone, 159, 172 ; of Bakumu,
227,261-2,264,299,308.
Aruko, country of, 239.
A^wido phraffmites, 200, 298.
Aruwimi river, 275, 308; cannibals,
301 ; flotilla, 218.
Asama, island of, 229-33, 235-9.
AsclepiadiJP, 235.
Ash, African, 365.
Ashantee, 300.
Asses, 84, 330; Mirambo, the riding-
a<ss, 443.
Ba-ama, a tribe, 218.
Baboons, 138, 293.
Babwend6, 353, 358-9, 865, 370,
875, 384, 405, 413-15, 426-7, 438,
452.
Bagamoyo, 62.
Bakongo tribe, 287, 426.
Bakuma, a tribe, 22/, 229-81, 215.
Bakusa. a tribe, 129, 160-7.
Bakutzi, or Wakuti, a tribe, 218.
Bald Mount, 55.
Balearic cranes, 293.
BaJcenicepa rex, 293.
BaJsamodendron , 865.
Bandits, 21-2, 25, 28.
Bangala, " the Ashantees of the Living-
stone/' 298, 800-309.
Bangwe Island, 12-16 ; channel, GL
Bankaro, 807.
Banza Mbnko, camp at, 459.
Baondo tribe, 275.
Baraka tribe, 264,810,375; Farjalla,
2or.
Barangi iribe, 290.
Barua tribe, 129, 307.
Barumb^ tribe, 307.
Basesse, a tribe, 3:8-4,856-9; river,
413,426.
Dassia Parkii, 839, 865.
Bnsundi tribe, 426, 431.
Baswas, a tribe, 224, 227-8, 230.
Batek6, 287; fishermen, 821, 332-7,
342, 353-4 ; country of, 821, 358.
Bays-nsee " Gulfs."
Bazombo tribe, 426.
Bdellium, 350.
Beads— " Sofi,'' 4; "Sam6 sam^,*' 4,
880; Mutanda,4.
Beatrice Gulf, 18.
Beech (African silver), 865.
Bees and wax, 387.
Beetles, 138.
Bemba lake, 111-12, 475.
Bemberri tribe, 275.
Benangongo, 115.
Benue, basin of, 276.
Digitized
byG00gl(
INDEX.
533
Betel-nut, 365.
Bhang-smoking, 187.
Billali, 21, 383.
Bilumbu (" the LiviDgstone 'O, 414.
Bird-lime, &c., 342.
Birds, 65— aee '• Ornithology."
Bisa (Livingstone's death), 98,
Black buffalo, 293.
Black river, 225, 323.
'* Black ivory nut*' tree, 281, 365.
Blood-brotherhood, 283, 286, 306, 315,
330; Uregga, 146; Wenya, 164; on
the Livingstone, 178, 188-9.
Boa constrictors, 106.
Boars, 286.
Boat's crew, 19, 153— «ec "Uledi,''
<&c
Bolobo district, 307, 313, 320-1,
359.
" Boma," a pah'sade, 104^5, ^qq.
Bomhax, 138, 156, 176, 203, 369.
Bongo ]^and, 22.
Borassus palms, 25, 280.
Borassus, 35.
lioswellia, 366.
Botany— Elais palm, 156, 198, 203, 239;
aloes, 366; Eaphia vinifera, 121,
139, 203; Panicum (grass), 115, 169 ;
Amomum, 131, 280, 350 ; Carpodin®,
131;* Vemonia Senegalensis, 131;
Kubiaceffl, 135, 176, 203, 365, 389;
Bombax, 138, 156, 176, 203, 369;
Ficus elastica, 139, 146-7, 203, 387 ;
Mvul6, 139; iron-wood, 156, 176;
red-wood, 176; wild date, 11, 203,
239, 281; "stink-wood," 176; Lo-
phira alata, 365; Pyphene palm,
239, 254, t.68, 271, 2^0; Calamus
secundiflorus, 267 ; Pennifietum
cane, 241; fig. 61—sfc "Pious;' Phry-
nium, 170, 280, 350; Pistia stra-
tiotes,. 175, 183, 280; Mucuna pru-
riens, 203; Cyperace», 230; Abrus
precatorius, 228; AsclepiadsB, 235;
ferns, 139, 203, 866; spear-grass,
139, 235 ; Mimosas, 139 ; watercane,
139; orchids, 139, 203; tamarisks,
139: llianes, 139, 203; rattans, 139,
145, 203, 226, 232-3, 261, 280, 292,
335; mangrove, 247,280; camwood,
167, 203, 276; Doum-palms, 203;
Curtisia faginea, 308 ; capsicum, 203,
351. 368; caoutchouc, 887; Burse-
race©, 366; gum-trees, 204, 260,
280; Dsne» moss, 204; castor oil,
229 ; cotton-wood, 280, 365 ; pepjjer,
238; Shea butter-tree, 280, 365;
Ficus Kotschyana, 280, 365; Tamar
Indica, 24, 156, 280, 365 ; Arundo
phragmites, 280, 293; papyrus, 18,
69-9, 203, 280, 293; " Guinea palms,
1, 4, 71, 83, 280, 375 ; papaws, 1, 54,
123, 366; yams, 2, 121, 358, 362;
sweet potatoes, 2, 72, 121, 216, 450 ;
teak, % 18, 24, 54-5, 156, 203, 280,
367, 369, 371 ; Ipomcea, 351 ; jiome-
granates, 1, 54, 123 : acacia, 21, 21,
139,365: convolvuli, 78, 130; wood-
apple, 69; pine-aople, 121, 123, 358,
366, 428; custard-apple, 69; nux-
vomica, 69 ; damson, 69 ; laurel, 89 ;
Eschinomensa, 54, 280; Mbugu-
trees, 72 ; sycamore, 55 ; " Owindi,''
32 ; Edemone mirabilis, 280 ; Nym-
phffia, 280; Strelitza vi^na, 281;
" black ivory nut," 281, 365 ; Verbe-
nace», 281; Vitex umbrosa, 281;
Jatrophe purgans, 281, 365 ; Loran-
thus, 281, 3G5; Liliacese, 281;
" dragon's- wood-tree," 281 ; oilberry-
tree, 281; violet-tree, 281; Ficus
sycamorus, 342 ; Bassia Parkii, 339,
365; Sterculiaceffl, 365; "candle-
berry "-tree, 365 ; Balsamodendrons,
365 ; Landolphia florlda, 365; Pro-
teas, 365; betel-nuts, 365; Anacar*
dium occidentale, 365; cola-nut-
tree, 365; mango, 366; catechu,
365; olive, 365; ash (African), 365;
beech (African silver), 365 ; guavas,
358, 366, 428; Boswellia, 366;
Euphorbia antiqnorum, 366; E.
Csiput-Medus», 366 — see " Vegeta-
bles," " Fruit," " Crops," " Pabns,"
" Forests," " Canes," " Gums."
Broad-tailed sheep, 45.
Bubeka, 287.
Buffalo, 25, 29, 68-9, 157, 238, 293,
317, 326.
Bull-frog, 205.
Biinga district, 307.
Burning of Shakespeare, 386.
Burserac^(F, 366— s'^e " Guins."
Burton Gulf, 68-60.
Butunu, 307.
Buyramerab6, 24; headlands, 27.
Bwana Abdallah, 174.
Bwana Abedi, 106-7.
Bwana Shokka, master of the azo,
129.
Bwena, village, 307.
Digitized
byG00gl(
554
INDEX.
Calamus secundiflorw, 267.
Cameron Bays, 40.
Cameron, 40, 44-6.
Cameron, Lieut, 10-11, 84, 9C-7,
110.
Cam-wood, 167, 203, 276.
" Candleberry "-tree, 365.
Canes, reeds, sedge, grasses, sugar-
cane, cane grasses, Ac, 18, 20, 24,
29, 41, 47, 49, 61, 54, 59, 61 ; huts of,
72,78-9, 92, 115 ; Panicum, 115, 126-
7; settees of, 135; cloth, 137, 331;
papyrus, 18, 51, 59, 203, 2b0, 293;
Calamus, 267 ; Pennisetum, 241 ;
water-cane, 139; CyperaceaB, 203;
spear-grass, 139, 235; rattans, 139,
145, 203, 226 ; cables of, 232-3, 261,
280 292 335.
Canni'bals^206, 210, 224, 238, 266,
274; Wabemb^, 58-60; Manyema,
<&c., of the Liyingstonej 6-7, 9, 71,
106, 143, 173.
Canoes— of Arabs, 2; of Wajiji, 6-18 ;
of Wenya, 116, 186; of Mwang
Ntaba, 220, 270-1, 273, 284, 287; of
Bangala, 300; Ntamo, 330 ; the Ex-
pedition making canoes, 366-71.
Caoutchouc — see " Ficus."
Cape Town, 387.
Capes, headlands, &c,—fee "Column
Point," " CasUe Point," " Kalavera,"
"Kahangwa," " Kantentieh," " Ka-
lambw^,** " Karamba," " Kiringi,*
"Kiruji," "Kpumpi," " Kipendi,"
*'Kungw6,*' "Mbwenni," "Muri,"
"Mdanga," "Massesse," "Panza
Bock Bluff," " Tembw6," " UpwarL*'
Capsicum, 203, 351.
Carpodince, 131.
Cassava, 4, 58, 83, 167, 170, 229, 234,
290, 307, 330.
Castle Point, 34.
Castor-oil, 229.
Cat. 26.
Cataracts. 123, 151, 194-5, 252. 307,
333, 337, 362-3, 428; "child,"
" mother," and " father," 336 ; fifth,
401; sixth, 243-250, 325; seventh,
251, 252.
Catechu, 365.
Cat-fish, 414.
Cattle, &c. — broad-tailed sheep, 4, 5 ;
goats, 77, 331; pij:, 121. 157, 2b6,
356 ; cattle, 4-5. 17, 61, 72, 121.
« Cauldron, The," 338.
Cereals— «ce " Crops."
Chabogw^ settlement, 168.
Chad, Lake, 276.
Chakavola, 31.
Character of Wajiji, 3 ; Arabs of Wa-
jiji, 68; Kuga-Knga,21-2; Wabwari,
58; Watembi, 59; of Expedition,
64, 66-7; cannibals of Mtowa, 68-9 ;
XJhombo, 73 : Manyema, 84-7 ; Arabs
at Nyangwe. 95, 118, 120, 128-9;
Exp., 110; Mtagomoyo, 119; Wan6
Kirumbu, 141 — see "Cannibals,"
200-74, 825; Western Batek^, 342,
356; Babwend^, 883-4.
Cheandoah, or Eewandoah, an island,
227
Chickens, 4, 72. 74, 88, 121. 216;
varieties of, 237, 315, 330, 337.
Chimpanzee, 42, 134.
Chowpereh, 375.
Christianity in Africa, 19, 63.
Christmas Day, 192.
Chumbiri (king of), 307, 315, 318-22,
325,433.
Civet, 134, 146, 244, 273, 282.
Climate, b03.
Coal, 146.
Coango, 323.
Coffee, the best in Afnca, 107.
Cola-nut, 365.
Colorado river, 194.
Column Point, 32.
Coney, 415.
" Congo," 194, 426, 442, 459 ; valley, 461
-8 ; river of. 283— «efl " Lualaba."
Convolvuli, 78.
Copper, 102. 145. 228, 282-6.
Cotton-wood, 280, 365.
Covinda Cove (of Tuckey), 438.
Creepers, 78, 130.
Crew of Lady Alice—see " Expedition."
Cricket 204.
Crocodiles, 18, 180, 205, 281, 286, 294,
804; (the boat) 339-41.
Crops— sec " Vegetables," "Fruit "; cas-
sava, 4, 53, 83, 167, 170, 229, 281,
.390, 307. 330, 354, 362-3, 428;
grain ana pulse crops (millet, rice,
beans, vetches, maize, wheat), 4. 6,
7, 12, 72, 77, 83, 86, 89, 117, 121,
123, 167, 170, 229; sugar-cane. 2.
4, 72, 121, 167, 170, 229. 330, 35.S;
pepper, 2ii8 ; betel-nut, 365.
Curtisla/agirua, 308.
Custard-apple. 69.
Cutting the canoes adrift, 186-7.
Cynocephalus porcarius, 293.
Digitized
by Google
INDEX.
535
Oyjperacecs (sedge), 203.
Hamson, 69.
r/ate palms, 11, 203, 239.
Deatlis— from small-pox at XJjiji, 62.
63; Amina, 310; Kalulu, 340;
Frank Pocock, 403.
Deer— «ee " Antelope.*'
Desertions, 63, 416 ; Kalulu, 65-7, 114
Dews, 138, 139, 196,204.
Dialects, 3, 40, 78, 123, 215-6, 314,
320-1, 414.
Diseases — see " Leprosy," " Fever,"
•' Dysentery," " Typhoid fever,"
" Ulcers," " Plenrisis," " SmaUpox."
Diver, 65, 180, 293.
Dogara— 5e« " Whitebait."
Dogs, unclean, 71 ; eaten, 218, 284, 415.
Domesticated animals— fowls, sheep,
4, 5; asses, 33, 84, 443; pigs, 121,
157, 286, 356; cat, 26; dogs, 71,
218, 284, 416 ; goats, 77, 331 ; guinea-
fowls, 118; pigeons, 118— see "Cattle"
and " Chickens."
Doum-palms, 203.
Dover cliffs, 325.
" Dragon's-blood " tree, 281.
Dress of Wajiji, 3; Waguha, 52-3;
Uhombo, 74-5 ; Manyema, 80 ;
Kiusd, 136 ; Wavinza, 145, 197.
Duck, wild, 293, 312.
Dugumbi, the patriarch of Nyangwd,
120.
Dwarfs, 101, 107, 172, 218.
Dysentery, 162, 3(il, 375, 423.
" Earth caterpillar," 204.
Edwin Arnold river, 323, 391, 412.
Eel, 414.
E'iemone mirabilU, 280.
Egrets, 293.
Elais palm, 156, 198, 203, 239.
Elephant, 146, 202, 293, 316.
Elwala river, 431.
Elwani village, 48.
Embomma, 384, 414, 432, 436, 441, 416,
449, 452-3, 459, 462.
Eatomology— locusts, "lake of," 90;
grasshoppers (for sale), 121 ; beetles,
138; ants, 106, 121, 138, 203, 235,
310; mantis, 204; "earth cater-
pillar," 204 ; ladybirds, 204 ; cricket,
204 ; ant-lion, 205 ; gadflies, 292, 310 ;
tsetse, 2:)2, 310; mosquitoes, 292,
297, 310.317; "jigga," 361; guinea-
worm, 301 ; entozoa, 361 ; l>ces» 387.
Fschinomenop, 54, 280.
Ethnology, 8, 80, 106, 172-3, 241, 245,
426 — see « Legends," " Habits,"
" Character," " Dialect," " History."
Euphorbia antiqtufrum^ 366; Caput*
Medusce, 866.
Expedition— «e« " Pocock " ; " Uledi " ;
" Kach6ch^"; " Shumari"; " Baraka"
" Billali"; " Manwa Sera "; " Feruzi";
" Mabruki " ; " Soudi " ; " Khamis ":
"Kalulu"; "Marzouk"; " Ha-
madi "; " Jumah "; " Saburi "; " Wadi
Rehani"; "Safeni"; "Saywa";
"Mpwapwa"; "Muftah"; "Salaam
Allah"; "Robert"; "Majwara";
"Zaidi"; also "Organization" and
" Wangwana."
Falls, cataracts, rapids— ««« "Cata-
racts," 123; "Ingulufi,** "Inkisi,"
" Isangila," " Itunzima," " Kalulu,"
" Lady Ah'ce," " Livingstone,"
"Mbembu," "Massassa," "Matun-
da," " Mowa," " Mputu," " Pocock,"
" Ripon," " Round Island," " Caul-
dron," " Sangalla," " Stanley,"
" Ubi," " Ukassa," " Ungufu,"
"Whirlpool Narrows," "iellala,"
"Zinga."
Famine, 425, 445.
Feathers, head-dresses of, 8L
Ferns, 139, 203, 366.
Feruzi, 369, 448, 456.
Fever, 176, 861, 436.
Ficus, 61; elastica, 139, 146-7, 203;
cables of 417 ; KoUchyana, 280, 365 ;
st/camorus, 342.
Fifth cataract, 40L
Fig-trees, 61.
Fights, 9, 17, 163, 174 179, 184, 220;
ontheRiver, 156, 324
Fipa, country of, 29-32.
Fire in the forest, 41.
Firi Niambi, 173.
Fish-eagle, 55, 167.
Fishing and fishermen, <S:c., 4; the
legend of the lake, 13-15; "nika."
16 ; women fishing, 82-3, 121-3 ; the
Wenya, 123, 167, 183, 20S, 228; on
theMata river, 252, 268-9, 312, 315,
389, 413, 430— sw " Ichthyology."
Flamingoes, 293, 812.
Forest, fire in, 41.
Forests — of Eawend^, 20; Manyemi,
78; of Uregga, 109 ; of the Lowwa,
203; of Asama, 239, 267, 310, 3G4;
Digitized
byG00gl(
556
INDEX.
" the pagans' forest," 126 sqq. ;
people of, 148; silence in, 205, 263 ;
legends of the, 99-107, 148 — «e«
" Manyema," " Miketo," " Mitamba,'*
"Ukaranga," "Uregga."
Forpe, 370; inUregga, 141; Ndandd-
Njoko. 325.
Fruit, 69, 78, 121 ; papaws, 1, 54, 123,
366 ; ground-nnts, 4, 83, 121, 170,
290, 358, 428, 438, 440, 450, 452;
oil-nuts- and oil of, 2, 4-5, 72, 83,
109, 358, 375, 455; pomegranates,
1, 54, 123; tamarind, 24, 156, 280,
365 ; TTOod-apple, 69; pine-apple, 121,
123, 358, 366, 428: custard-apple,
69; damson (wild A&ican), 69;
limes (sweet), 54, 123, 358, 428;
lemons, 54, 123, 345, 358, 428; date
pahns, 11, 203, 239, 281 ; Owindi, 32 ;
fig, 61; mango (wild), 365; olive,
365, 433 ; guavas, 358, 366, 42a
Funeh Islands, 31.
Gadfues, 292, 310.
Game, 434 — see *• Sport."
Gamfwa, rocks at, 861 ; bay, ai5, 347,
352.
Garubu's Cove, 346.
Geese, 21, 293, 304, 312.
Geology, 27-33, 40-1, 50-2, 70, 84,
162, 229, 355, 376, 425, 432-se«
"Watersheds," "Volcanic pheno-
mena."
Gezeh river, 28.
Goats, 77, 331.
" Goee-Goee," 375, 381,399.
Goma mountain range, 32, 216-18, 215 ;
island, 54-5; Northern Goma, 5-6,
58-77,146; Southern, 276.
Gordon Bennett river, 336-7.
Gorilla, 42; bones, 75, 286.
Grain — see " Crops.**
" Grains of Paradise," 280.
Grasses — see " Cnncs," &c.
Grasshoppers, 121.
Graves at Mbinda, 453.
Great L'asUm of theLivinp^8tonc,220.
Ground-nuts, 4, 83. 121, 170, 290, 358,
428, 438, 440, 450 ; export trade in,
452.
Guavas, 358, 3C6, 42a
Guinea-fowls, 118.
Guinea-pahns, 1, 4, 71, 83, 280, 375.
Guinea-worm, 361.
Gulfe, bays, &c.— sea " Beatrice," " Bur-
ton,*' " Cameron," " Gavubu's cove,"
"Igangw6 cove," "Kasuma," "Ki-
rando," " Limba," " Lukuga creek,"
" Numbi cove," " Simon's Bay."
Gums — ^Meliaca, 260; gum-trees, 203,
260, 280; myrrh, 350, 388; bde.-
lium, 350; BursiuracesB, 366; gum-
frankincense-tree, 366, 388; gum
copal, 387.
Gunji, 281, 284, 290, 302, 359.
Habits and Customs— TJjiji, 8-17, 26;
Waguha, 63 ; Ubugwe, 69 ; Uhomix),
71-7; Manyema, 80-7; Nyangwe,
95, 134-5; Uregga, 141.
Hair-dressing, 320; of Uguha, 52-3;
Ubujwe, 69, 81-2 ; (beards), 9L
Haji Abdallah, 173.
Hamadi left captive, 431.
Hatton and Cookson, 446-9.
Hawk, 16a
Heat, 303.
Hippopotamus, 262, 281.
History of Manyema, 123-4; of Wand-
Kukura, 245.
Honey, 4, 121.
Hot springs, 70.
Humid shades, 204, 303.
Huts,— of Ujiji, 1 ; Ponda, 26 ; Kawel6,
61 ; TJhombo,73 ; change of style in,
77 ; Manyema Mtuyu, 92 ; of Nyan-
gwe, 117 ; Uregga, 134 ; Wenya. 157 ;
Ikondu, 169; 273; of Babwend6,
375
Hypher.e palm, 289; fibre of, 254, 268.
271, 280.
Ibaka, 359.
Ibari Nkutu river, 283, 320, 323.
Ibeko, 287.
Ibis, 167, 168, 293, 312.
Ibonga, 305.
Ichthyology — ^fishing, fishermen, drc,
4, 13-15; "the Nika." 16, 82. 83,
121, 123, 167, 183, 208, 228, 252,
268-9, 312, 315. 389, 413, 430;
" whitebait," 4, 281, 389, 408. 430 ;
eel, 414 ; pike, 252. 414 ; " minnows,"
281, 315, 430; Silurians, 414; cat-
fish, 414.
Igangw6 cove, 28 ; Point, 29.
Ikandawanda, 287.
Ikelemba, 307; river, 308, 323.
Ikengo, 302, 305; district, 308, 316,
323 359
Ikondu, dwarf of, 170-1, 173, 175, 212,
Ikonogo, 2b7.
Digitized
byG00gl(
INDEX.
557
Iktmgti, 452 » hills of. 307, 451
"Ikutuva Kongo," 283.
Imem6, 287.
Indian corn, 77. 83, 86, 89, 483.
Industry, H.M.S., 473.
Inga, 441.
Inguba, 305, 307.
Ingnlnfi Bapids, 418; badn, 391, 406,
419, 420.
Inkid Falls, 355-6, 358, 360, 364,
373,428; Basess6, 858.
Insameh, 346. .
Ipomoea, 351.
Irebu, 307, 309, 313.
Irebu district, 302, 307.
Iregweh, 287.
Treko, 287.
Irend^, people of, 266.
Iringi river, 287, 2D0.
Irondo river, 175.
Iron-wood, 156, 176.
Iryamba, place, 205-7.
Isangila, cataract of, 432, 439,441.
I8landfi*-«fe " Asama," " Bangw6,''
"Bongo," '* Cheandoah," "Funeh,"
"Goma," "Kabombo," " Kankumba,"
"Karamba," "Kaseng6," "Kavala,"
"Kyyo Kaba," "Muiikwa," "Ma-
tura," "Makokomo," "Mitandeh,"
"Mkerengi," "Mpika," "Mwangan-
gala,** " Ntunduru," " Observation,"
" Eocky," " Round," " Spirit,"
"Ukioba,""Uvitera."
Itsi, chief of Ntamo. 323-30; Kintu,
chief of Mcwa, 383.
Isangu, 275, 307, 321.
Ituka village, 261-2.
Itunzima Falls, 432-3.
Ituru, 66, 116, 277.
Ivory, 4, 6, 85, 87-8, 98 ; in dwarf-land,
100, lot), 254; a land of ivory, 118,
130, 272, 290, 302, 358, 450, 405.
Izangi river, 263.
Jason, 367, 89?, 395, 422.
Jatrophe purgans^ 28l ; curcas, 365.
" Jigga " worm, 361.
Johanna men, 07.
Juma Merikani, 97, 422.
KA-BAMBABRfi, 79, 81.
Kahinda ship, 464-5, 472; bay of, 468,
472.
Kabogo river, 17, 20, 25, 55, 67; cape,
65, 64 ; river, 56 ; place, 63.
Kabombo Isles. 212.
Kabungw6, 88-9.
Kach6ch6, the " Weasel,'' 65, 86, 150,
155-6, 232, 357, 370-1, 379. 393,
387, 397-8, 416-17, 420, 449-50,
454, 461, 482.
Kafisya district, 27-8.
Kaganzn village, 56.
Kagehyi village, 29, 112.
Kagongw^ village, 71.
Kahanda river, 44.
Eahangwa cape, 50, 52.
Kakongo district, 418, 42L
Eakungti village, 33.
Kalambw6 cape, 40, 4L
Kalavera Point, 33.
Kali Karero, 198.
Kalubu, 432.
Kalulu, 65, 90, 115-16; Falls, 339-
40, 343, 367, 387, 400, 424.
Kamalondo river, 45.
Eamolondo lake. 111.
Kampnnzu, 143-4, 147.
Kankindwa, 44.
Kankor6.217; (Kankura), 218; river,
220,225.
Kankumba, camp at, 115-lG; island,
31.
Kantamba settlement, 27.
Kantentieh Point, 32.
Eapata stream, 34.
Kapembwa, natural tower, 37.
Karagw6 (king op, 148 ; lakes of, la
Karamba cape, 57-8; island, 19 J.
Karema district, 29.
Kariba river, 136, 207.
Karindi, or Kionga, district, 132.
Karinzi cape, 51.
Kasansagara river, 59.
Kasenga river, 44.
Easenge island, 52. 54, 65.
Easera district, 202, 350.
Kasimbu district, 6, 8, 17, 19.
Kasongo, 97, 128, 158-9.
Eassanga, chief. 68.
Kasuku, 199, 323.
Kasuma inlet, 24.
Katadzi" guns," 210.
Katavi spirits, 67.
Katanga, 112.
Katembo, interpreter, 205, 211, 213,
215, 227, 236, 241, 296.
Kateye, natural tower, 37.
Katey6 spirits, 67.
Katumbi, 213.
Kavala, Kirindi, Kivizi, islands, 51
Kawa Bay and river, 34.
Digitized
byG00gl(
558
INDEX.
Kaw^Nianfreli, chief, 4L
KaweW, Tillage of, 61.
Kawendi, hills of, 20, 22-3, 23; or
ToDgw6,29.
Khamis the Balnch, 62, 193.
Kibamba, dry bed of river, dS.
Kilolo, 434, 43a
Kingfishers, 293.
Kinoza, chief of Eioga, 60L
Kinsembo, port of, 384.
Kintu, chief of Mowa, 333.
Kiiizal6,429.
Kinzan, port of, 384.
Kinzor^, 424.
Eioga, place, 60.
Kipembwe river, 207.
Kipendi Point, 29.
Kipimpi cape, 40. 4L
Kirando, bay of, 31.
Kirembo rembo (lightning), 173.
Kiringi Point, 56.
Kiruji cape, 68.
Kirungwe, or Castle Point, 33, 34.
Eishakka tribe, 3.
Kisui-Kachiambi, 173, 175-7.
Kitet^, chief of Mptingu, 9L
Kituka, or market, 120.
Kiumeh, or Chiuma-Nanga, chief, 33.
Kinnyu village, 59.
Eiossi, camp at, 183.
Kivanga, peak of, 21.
Kiwesa, district, 25, 27.
Kiyanja ridge, 49, 5()-L
Kiyanzi, dialect, 321.
Kizambala, place, 70, 81, 85.
Kokira, chief of Mtosi, 32.
Koruru district, 2G0, 263, 267, 275.
Kunda river, 115-16, 120, 128, 131, 207.
Kundi village, 70.
Kungw6 cape, 22, 60-1; mountains,
22; peaks, 23; future of, 2^1.
Kutumpuku district, 313.
Kwango river, 276, 414.
Kwaniwa*s village, 70.
Kyanga ridge, 51.
Kyya Kaiaba, island, 239.
Lady Alice— the Eapids, 347-8, 850-1,
379, 400, 433, 464; the boat, on
Tanganika, 13-60; repaired, 122 ; on
Lualaba, 122, 147; on the Living-
stone, 147-442 ; abandoned, 442.
Lady-birds, 204.
I,ady Frere, 494-5.
Lakas— Tanganika, 10-60 ; Bemba,
111-12, 475; Chad, 276; Muta-
Nzig^, 90; Lincoln. Ill; Usukuma,
15; Alexandra, 275; Albert, 275;
Kamalondo, 111 ; of Karagwe, 18.
Lambo village, 70.
Landofphia, 365.
Language, 3, 123— «e " Dialects.*
Laurel-tree, 89.
Legends, superstitions, Ac, 34, 36-7,
322, 384-^ 388-9,404, 409.
Legends of the Lake, 5, 12-16, 23. 23,
58, 67; of the forest, 99-107, 148.
Lemons, 54, 120, 345, 358, 42a
Lemur, 138, 223. 238. 293.
Leoparcl, 106, 134, 136, 202, 273, 282.
Leopold river, 220, 238.
Leprosy, 440-1.
Levy Hills, 312.
Liende village. 38, 39.
Lightning, 374.
Liliaceoe, 281.
Limba creek, 50.
Limes (sweet), 54, 123, 358, 42a
Lincoln lake, lU.
Lion, 202.
Lira river, 173, 206-7.
Liuch6 (river;, 6, 17, 19.
Livingstone, Dr., 6-7, 11-12. 20-1,
32, 39, 42, 67, 60, 66, 79. 84. 86, 96,
98, 110-12, 119, 143, 168; the river
(as the Lualaba"). 122-147; as " tho
Livingstone," 147.
canoe, 413.
Falls, 328, $qq.
Llianes, 139, 203.
Loanda, 276, 323, 471.
Locusts, lake of, 90.
Lofuku, Lofu, or Rubuku, river, 42.
London Town (canoe), 29a
Lofhira aiata, 365.
Loranthfis, 281, 365.
Lotus, 39.
Lowwa, or Bowwa, river, 203, 203.
211-12, 223, 227, 305.
Lualaba river, 64. 68, 83-4, 92, 94, 96,
112, 115-16, 120; on the Lualaba,
122-147; the name merged in the
'• Livingstone," 147-467.
Luama nvcr, 70, 72, 77, 83-4; river
and vaUey, 91-2, 94, 116, 123, 200-7,
275-6.
Luapanya, chief of Wahika, 16a
Lubangi river, 72.
Lubugw6 river, 24.
Luhye-ya ridge, 92.
Luimbi, Luindi, Euindi, or Lukupt
river, 49.
Digitized
byG00gl(
INDEX.
559
Lukalu Point, 427.
Lukuga creek, 44-46, 52,
Luknea " river/' 10-11, 15, £0, 51.
Lulindi river, 95.
Lumani river, 100-1, 218; or
Young^s river, 225, 227, 27G.
Lnmba river, 50.
Lunangwa river, 42.
LTiru,or Lulu river, 206-7.
Luwegeri, or Luwajeri, ** mother of
the Lukuga," 15, 21, 49.
Mabruki, 103, 115, 144, 215-6, 348,
883, 479.
MacMnnon (Mr. William), 481.
Mahonga chief, 59.
Majwara, Pocock's servant, 89, 379-80.
Makokomo (island oQ, 31, 43.
Makongo place, 146.
Malagarazi river, 20, 22.
Malofu, palm-wine, 77, 83, 121, 167,
193, 216, 290, 307, 358, 371, 383.
Mammalia — see " Zoology."
Mangala, 287, 297; savages of, 305,
314.
Mango (wild), 365.
Mangroves, 247, 280.
Manioc — see " Cassava."
Mankoneh, chief of the Betek6, 332.
Manfconesh, chief of the Batek^ 377-8.
Mankonno, 307.
Mansau Falls, 427.
Mantis, 204.
Manufactures, 228, 254, 272-3, 358-9 ;
of Ujiji, 4 ; Msamba, 32 ; Ubuj w^, 70 ;
of Manyema, 83 ; Nyangw6, 120-3,
139; Uregga, 141; of the Living-
stone, 167-8.
Manwa Sera, 10, 1634, 191, 221, 223,
232, 236, 271, 297-8, 801, 307, 338,
346, 358, 364, 368, 375, 379, 381,
390, 396, 398, 410, 412, 416-17,
457.
Manwana, chief of Mowa, 383.
Manyana, district, 384.
Manyanga, market town 446, 452.
Manyema, 6, 86-7, 98, 115, 121, 123,
129, 135, 140, 143, 173, 276, 375 ;
forests of, 78.
Mapota river. 40.
Marabu storks, 293.
Maramba (plantain-wine), 14, 72, 121.
Marera district, 121.
Marimbu, camp at, 115.
Markets — Ujiji, 4; Msamba, 32;
Ubujwd, 70; Manyema, 83 Ny-
angw^, 120-3, 134: Uregga, 141; of
the Livingstone, 1d7-8 siq.
Marungu, mountains of, 42.
Marunja districts, 6, 16, 287, 302, 314 ;
warriors of, 295-7, 359.
Marzouk, 233-4; the cook, 362, 382,
400.
Masansi, coffee of, 109.
Masaro, currency bead, 4.
Masini, 58.
Massassa and Massess^, 387, 390-1,
395-414; Point, 394-6; Falls, 395-
414, 446.
Massi-Kamba, sub-chief of Fipa, 29.
Masuka, fruit-tree, 69.
Mata river, 430, 432.
Matagera left captive, 437.
Matet^, water-cane, 46.
Matonga, or custard-apple, 69.
Matunda Falls, 427-a
Matura Island, 173.
Mawembd village, 266-7.
Ma-Zomb6 village, 34.
Mbala, port of, 384.
Mbelo, village, 403; ferry, 418.
Mbembu (wood-apple), 69, 419; Falls,
420-2.
Mberri tribe, 287.
Mbinda, 440.
Mbinda chief, 443; valley of, 452;
village of, 453 ; ridge of; 454, 456.
Mbugu- trees, 72.
Mburri, camp at, 165, 218.
Mbwenni, bluffs of, 477.
Mdanga cape, 65-6.
Meginna (place), 127, 146.
Meteorology —see "Eain," "Storms,"
" Wind," "Rise and fall of rivers,"
873, 412 ; " Thermometer readings."
Mgassa, king of Ujiji, 5.
Micoco, a fiibulous king; river, 415,
148.
Miketo forest, 77; district, 49-50.
Mikoko river, 415.
Mikonju tribe, 239.
Mimosas, 139.
Mineralogy— sec " Geology.''
Minnows, 281, 315, 430.
Minza village, 33.
Mirage, 303-4, 314.
Mirimo, camp at, 136.
Misongo village, 307, 359.
Missossi Mount, 55-6, 58.
Mist, 196.
Mitamba, forest of, 130, 150.
Mitamba, or lorest, 96, 121.
Digitized
byG00gl(
5C0
INDEX.
Mitandeh Islands, 168.
Mitwanzi, old river bed, 49.
Mkampemba, a Tillage. 50.
Mkerengi Island, 30, 3L
Mkigusa village, 38.
Mkomb^ river, 28.
^Ikunga, pori; of, 384.
Mkura, port of, 384.
Mkwanga, village, 94.
Mohammed bin Gharib, governor of
Ujiji, 6, 7, 11, 62. 85, 168; bin Sali,
7; bin Sayid, 95, 99, 107, 120;
Mahommed bin Soud, 94.
Mohuro, Mwjtu, Mtambani, Mdtn,
names for the forest of Manyema,
78.
i/o?^t«ca— oysters, 252, 284; mussels,
252,284; snails, 134, 284.
Mompara, or Para, Dr. Livingstone at,
42.
Mompnrengi, 307.
Monbuttu, river of, 275-6.
Mongoose, 134.
Monitors, 294.
Monkey, and monkoy-skins, &c., 57,
134, 136, 138, 140, 168, 238, 273,
293-4— see "Baboons"; "Chimpan-
zee"; "Gorilla*'; "Lemur"; "Soko.'*
Mosquitoes, 69, 292, 297, 310, 317.
Mountains of the Moon, 276.
Mountains— see " Goma," "Ikengu,'
"Kawendi," "Kungwe/' "Levy,"
"Marungu" "Missossi,*' "Moun-
tains of the Moon," "Ton^we,*
" Alambola," " Ujssi," " iangi-
yangi."
Mowa (Upper), 387, 420, 428; Falls
and cove, 390, 393; cliffs, 394-5,
358. 370; market, 371, 375; Falls,
376-9, 3b3, 385; falls, 397-8, 403-4,
406, 409, 410.
Mpakambendi, 377, 425-7.
Mpakiwana district, 287, 292, 302, 359.
Mpako, king of Zinga, 414.
Mpangu, camp at, 429.
Mpassi district, 218.
Mpika (island of), 177, 186, 188, 193.
Mpimbw^ cape, 29-32.
MpiFa district, 290, 302.
Mpotira, camp at, 132.
Mpumba, 307.
Mpunga, place, 91-2.
Mputu, 414, 426-7; rapids, 44L
Mpwapwa, 264, 339, 381-2, 400.
Mrima coast, 128.
Msamba Island, 31-2; bay, 82.
M'sehazy Haven, 64.
Mnhala river, 5.
Mtagamoyo, 100, 101, 103, 106, 119-
20,140.
Mtambara river, 59.
Mtombwa, natural tower, 36, 37.
Mtosi, or Motoshi, camp at, 32.
Mtowa, in Uguha, 68.
Mtuyu, camp at, 89, 91.
Mucuna pruriens. 203.
Muftah Kufiji, kiUed, 2C2; Muftah,
299.
Mugolw6 village, 55.
Muhala, Muini, 172.
Muini Dugumbi, of Nyangw^, 87,* 96,
117-19, 121.
Muini Ibrahim, 128, 188, 151.
Muini Kheri, governor of Ujiji, 2, 6,
7-9, 11, 12, 19.
Mungamba, chief of Mburri, 218.
Muntawa cape, 31, 54.
Muri-Eiassi cape, 42.
Murikwa Island, 35.
Muriro, king, resort of slavers esta-
blished by, 40.
Muriwa creek, 169.
Murumbi Mount, 43.
Muscati, wife of Safeni, 193, 232;
steersman, 232, 478 ; name of an ass,
84.
Music, 61, 94.
Mussels, 252, 284.
Muta-Nzig6, Lake, 66, 112, 125, 127,
190, 239, 275.
Mutanda beads, 4.
Mutiny in the camp, 416.
Mutwar^, 2, 8 ; of tJgoy, 6.
Muzimu spirits, 13 ; huts built for, 34 ;
the spirit island, 58> 60.
Mvul^ trees, 139.
Mwana Eilnnga, name of the " Living-
stone," 414.
Mwana Kusu, chief of Ea-Bambarre,
79, 80-2.
Mwana Mamba, chief of Tubanda, 9^t-
6, 108, 114, 120, 123.
Mwana Mpunda, 91.
Mwana Ngomb4, " lord of cows," 89.
Mwana Ngoy, a chief; 81-2, 85.
Mwana Ntaba tribe, 212: territory,
217, 219-20, 224, 273.
Mwangangala Island, 807.
Mwato Wandu villi^, 444
M wende, Kivuk^vuke (" Go in peace"),
Myriapedes, 138, 203.
Digitized
byG00gl(
INDEX.
561
Nakampemba, Tillage of, 161, 162.
Nakasiinbi village, 128.
Namujnrilwa, the champion of Uganda,
89
Natai, 474, 477.
Natural History— «<»« "Zoology," "Or-
nithology," " Entomology," " Ichthy-
ol<^?y," "Reptiles," "Botany," "Ge-
ology," "Meteorology."
Nchnvira, king of Nknnda, 332.
Ndala of Zinga, 404, 411.
Ndand6-Njoko, woods of, 325.
Ndereh, the robber's village, 22, 25,
26,28.
Netted bv cannibals, 240.
Nganza district, 281.
Ngomb6, king, 102; town, 290.
Ngoyo district, 468.
Ngnfo, Bapids of, 441.
Nguru basm, 421-2.
Ngyeyeh river, 227.
Nicknames, 89-91.
Niger river, 194
Nika (}2kk&)y probably named after an
electric fish, 16.
Nika (plain), 16.
Nile (Alexandra), 18.
Nile, 122, 194, 238; Upper, 249; Vic-
toria, 250, 276-7.
Nkunda district, 327, 332, 359.
Nshasha district, 332.
Nsongo Yellala, 441.
Ntombo Mataka, 438.
Ntondw^ Island, 35.
Ntnndnru Island, 229-30, 232-5.
Nmnbi, cove of, 24.
Nux- Vomwi, 69.
Nyama, " meat," 144, sao,
Nyangwd, 9, 10, 87, 94,^6, 107-8, 110-
11, 114, 116, 118, 120-1, 123, 126,
130, 137, 140, 147-8, 152, 188, 275,
333, 360, 478.
Nyika, king of Gambaragara, 124.
AympAcF-a, z80.
Nzabi, 358; district, 358-9, 364, 368,
370-71, 372, 374-7, 400, 414
Obsebvatiok Island, 299.
Oc^an, canoe, 298.
Officers— of R.N., 473-4; Danae, In-
dustry and Stag nil, 473 : Fachumba,
481; Tamega, 472; Kabinda, 464;
London, 478.
Oil-berry tree, 281.
Oil and oil-nnts, palm-oil and bntter,
2, 4, 5, 72, 83, 109, 358, 375, 466.
VOL. II. — 36
Olive, 3d5, 433.
Onions, 358, 428.
Orchids, 139, 203.
Oi^anization of Expedition, 19, 63, 107,
116, 155, 189, 335, 344-5.
Ornithology— geese, 21, 293, 304, 123;
guinea-fowls, 118; pigeons, 118;
birds, 55 ; diver, 55, 293 ; fish-eagles,
55, 167-8 ; parrots, 77, 121, 168, 244,
342, 433; Balearic cranes, 293;
BalsBniceps Bex, 293; flamingo, 293,
312; dncks, 293, 312; kingfishers,
293; marabn, 293 ; egrets, 293; ibis,
167-8, 293, 312; snipe, 2^3; peli-
. cans, 309, 312 ; stork, 812 ; whyctehs,
312; bird-lime, Ac, 342; hawk, 168,
see " Chickens."
Otter, 238.
Outlet of Tanganika, 10, 11-60.
O'lfindi, a fragrant berry, 32.
Oysters, 252, 284.
Paohumba, 481.
Palms— Guinea pahns, 1, 4 71, 83, 280,
375 ; oil-nuts and oil, 2, 4, 5, 72, 83,
109, 368, 375, 466; wine, 14 72, 77,
83, 121, 167, 216, 290, 807, 858, 371,
383; date-pakns, 11, 203, 239; Elais
pahn, 156, 198, 203, 239; Hyphene
nalm, 239; fibre of, 254 268, 271,
280; down palms, 203; Borassus
palm, 25, 280.
Fanicum grass, 115, 169.
Panza Point, 58-60.
Papaw, 1, 64 123, 366.
Papyrus, 18, 46-8, 61, 69, 203, 280,
293.
Para, 42— «ee " Mompara."
Para, guide, 12, 25-7, 32-59.
Parrots, 77, 121, 135, 168, 244, 842,
433.
Pelicans, 304, 312.
Fennisetum reed cane, 241.
Pepper, 238.
Phrynium, 170, 280, 350.
Ph) sical Geography— «cc " Mountains,"
" Lakes," " Rivers," " Watersheds "—
" Volcanic phenomena " — " Falls,"
" Cataracts,'^ and " Rapids— ^*Meto-
ology.
Physic-nut, 281.
Pigeons, 118.
Pigs, 121, 157, 356.
Pike, 252, 414
FUtia plants, 173, 183, 280.
Digitized
byG00gl(
562
INDEX.
Plantains, ^ganido, 102. 206.
Plenrisis, 170.
Pocock, Francis, 65, 109, 112-18, 146,
149, 164, 167, 163, 179-181, 184,
192-5, 280, 257-9, 271, 283, 298-9,
819, 324-6, 330-38, 346-9, 360, 362,
369, 376, 377. 380, 391, 393-4, 397-
403; in Memoriam. 407-8, 410-lL
Pocock Pool, 412, 422, 462.
Podostomaoeas, 414.
Poisoned arrows, 145, 172, 175, 180,
211.
Polombw^ cape, 88.
Pomb^ 9 sqg.
Pomegranate, 1, 54, 123.
Ponta da Lenha, 466.
Population, 5.
Products, 215-16,254, 283-4, 290, 315,
345, 358-9, 387-8, 428,452 ; of Ujiji,
2, 4, 5, 7, 58, 69, 72, 74, 78, 83, 88;
Nyanj?w^, 120-1 ; of the Livingstone,
167, 170, 216. 229, 237, 284, 290,
307, 316, 330, 337.
Prime minister, 476.
Protecu, 365.
Puff-adder, 13a
Purvis, Captain, 473.
Python, 138, 322.
Rain, 29, 45, 186, 206, 207, 321-2;
on Livingstone river, 372-4.
Rain-storm, 203, 322.
Baphia vintfera, 121, 139, 203.
Rapids, 16^.
Rattans— Mtf "Canes," 139, 146, 203,
226, 261 ; cables of, 232^, 280, 292,
335.
Red buffalo. 238, 293, 317, 326.
Red-wood, 176.
Reed— «ec " Canes," &c.
Rehani, 296, 379.
Reptiles— crocodiles, 18, 180, 205, 281,
286,299, 804; boa-constrictor, 106;
viper, 138 ; puff-adder, 138 ; python
13b, 322; water-snakes, 342, 414;
monitor, 294.
Rhinoceros, 205.
Riba-Riba chief. 87-a
Rinda river, 275.
Ripon Falls, 250.
Rivers — see " Edwin Arnold,"
"Aruwimi,*' "Black," "Colorado,"
" Elwala," " Gezeh," " Gordon
Bennett," "Ibari Nkutu," " Ike-
lemba," " Iringi," " Irondo, " " Izan-
gi," "Kab(^,""Kahanda," "Kan-
kor^," "Kariba," " Kasansagara,'
" Kasenga," "Kipembw6," " Kunda,"
"Kwango," "Leopold," "Liuch6,"
"Lira," "Livingstone,* "Lowwa,'
" Lualaba," " Luama," " Lnbugwe,"
"Lubangi," "Luindi," "Lukugu,"
"Lulindi," "Lumani," "Lumba,"
" Luru," " Luwegeri," " Malagarazi,"
"Mata," "Micoco," " Mkomb^,"
"Monbuttu," "Mshala," "Mtam-
bara," "Mwanakilunga,** "Ngyeyeh,"
" Niger," " Nile," " Rinda," " Rua,"
" Ruarowa," " Rugumba," " Ru-
gunsi," "Rubumba," "Rugufu,"
"Ruiki," "Rugukn," " Rumani,"
"Rumuna," "Rungwa," "Rusizi,"
"Sankuru," " Ugalowa," " Ugarowa,"
" Uker6,** " Victoria Nile," " Well6,"
"Wenya," " Yaryembi," "Young's
river," " Zambezi"
Robert, 482.
Rock Bluff Point, 439.
Rocky Island, 339, 359.
Rosako camp. 62.
Round Island Falls, 846.
Rowwa— SM " Lowwa."
Ruariver,ll, 16,69, 97.
Ruanda district. 68, 245.
Ruango, guide, 10, 12.
Ruarowa (Lualaba), 173.
Rubanga, village and chief, 281,
283-4, 286-87291-2, 297, 299, 804,
359
Rubata " cauldron." 480.
Rubiacea, 136, 176, 203, 365, 389.
Rubumba, or Luvumba, river, 60,
69.
Rubuku, or Loful^u, river, 42.
Ruemba, country of the liemba lake,
44.
Rufuvu river, 88; and plain described
by Dr. Livingstone, 39.
Ruga-Ruga bandits, 22, 129.
Rugufu nver, 24, 27.
Ruguku river, 32.
Rugumba river, 68-70, 83.
Rugunsi river, 136.
Ruhinga settlement, 27.
Ruiki river, 262, 323.
Ruindi, or Luindi, river, 46.
Rukura district, 199.
Rum, 444.
Rumami river, 212; falls o( 218— Me
" Lumami."
Rumuna river, 136.
Digitized
byG00gl(
INDEX.
563
Rtingwa river, 22.
Kusizi river, 12.
Hutakn river, 44.
Ruwye-ya river, 44.
Uwoma, king of Uzmja, 66, 462.
Sabubi Behani, 868, 411, 437.
Safeni, 369, 379, 385, 416, 433, 477.
Salaam Allah, 171, 417-ia
Salt, 4, 61, 121, 176, 183, 312, 858,
460.
Samba district, 121.
Sam^ 8am6 beads, 4, 380.
SangaUa Falls (see "Isangalla")* 432,
441 ; Sanga Tellala, 441.
Sanganka, chief of Eankor6, 217.
Sanknra river, 294.
Sayed bin Salim, GK)vemor of Unyan-
yemb6, 9.
Saywa, 163, 171, 233, 288, 365, 382-3,
408.
Schweinforth, 276.
Seagull, H.M.S., 478.
Sedge— «e« *^ Canes," sic.
Sennen^ ! (peace !) 105, «77.
" SennenneV* 199, 213, 205, 210.
Shari, basin of, 276.
Shea bntter-tree, 280, 365.
Sheep (broad-tailed), 4, 6.
Shepnerd tribes— sec " Watnta."
Shields— Me " Arms " (nsed for defence
by Expedition), 202, sqq,
Shnmari. 168. 165, 232, 288, 339, 849,
852, 365, m
BUurus, 414.
Simon's Bay, 283, 882-8, 400, 403,
474-6.
8ingw6, wild African damson, 69.
Slaves, 1, 2, 4 ; prices of, 6, 7, 8, 85.
117,121,128-9,358,462.
Small-pox, 62-8, 162, 178, 176-7.
Smith, Professor, 441.
Snails, 134, 284.
Snakes— see " Beptiles."
Snipe, 293.
«Sofi''beads,4
Soko, 42, 77, 106, 188, 148, 144-6, 223,
244,274
Songs, 209, 266, 457.
Songs and music, 61, 94.
Sondi, 341, 344, 867.
Sources of the Nile— sec "Nile."
Sparhawk, Mr. B., 479.
Spear-grass, 139, ii35.
" Spirits of the Bocks," dread of in
Umnga, 86.
Spirit Island, 68 ; " of the Falls," 409.
Sport-85. 78,434; zebra, 21; buffalo,
25, 29, 68-9, 157, 238, 293, 317, 826;
leopards, 136. 202, 273, 282; ele-
phants, 116, 146, 202; antelope, 29,
81. 106, 185. 238, 416. 326; hippo-
Sotamus, 202, 281, 294, 312-18;
on, 202; rhinoceros, 205 ; geese, 21,
293, 804, 312; ducks, 293, 812;
snipe, 293.
Squirrels, 244.
Stanley Falls, 123, 221, 250, 261, 252,
233, 254, 256, 26). 268-73, 313, 383,
224, 246. 247, 250, 303, 328, 325,
Stanley Pool, 832.
Stellcnbosch, 474-6.
Sterctdiacece, 366.
"Stink-wood," 176.
Stork, 812.
Storms, 89, 40, 203, 207, 281, 802, 810,
822, 825, 373; on Tanganika, 19, 28,
66-6.
StrtiUza vagina, 281.
StrychnoB, 345.
Subiri, chief of the Ba-ama, 218.
Sugar-cane, 2, 4, 72, 121, 167, 170, 229-
30,868.
Suki district. 424.
Sullivan, Commodore, 474-6, 479.
Sultan bin Eassim, 7, 65.
Superstitions— »ee "L^ends," Ac.
Swahili, 78.
Sweet potatoes, 2, 72, 121, 216, 450.
Sycamore, 66.
Tamabinds, 24, 280, 866.
Tamarisks, 139.
Tamega ship, 437, 472.
Tanga village, 66.
Tanganika (lake), 5-7, 9-12, 16-20,
27-8, 82, 60-2, 66-8, 60, 64-5, 67-8,
77-9, 90, 112. 116, 119, 125, 245, 276,
277, 882. 444.
Tata country, 124, 127.
Tattooing extraordinary, 285, 842.
Teak, 2, 18, 29, 64, 65, 156, 203, 20,
367, 369, 371.
Tcmbw^ headland, 61-2.
Temperature — see " Thermometer read-
ings."
Tempests— fee " Storms."
Thea in the camp, 858, 368, 879, 425,
431, 436.
Thermometer, 808; readings of, 70;
(heat of foreet), 130, 182 ; range, 808.
Digitized
byG00gl(
564
INDEX.
Thunder, 374.
Timber, 365— »^« " Forests,- « Botany/'
Tippu-nb, 95, 9e-99, 106-111, 113,
114, 119, 120, 124; village, 128-130,
137, 139, 140, 147, 192-3, 150-1,
157. 164, 171, 174-5, 177, 184, 189,
192-3, 197.
Tobacco, 22, 119, 134, 167.
Tomatoes, 4.
Tongw^, mountains of, 21, 143.
Trade, 215-16, 254, 283,287, 289, 337,
358-9, 370, 428, 450, 452; of Ujiji,
2, 4. 5, 7 ; of Tanganika, 29, 107, 114 ;
(rf Nyangwe, 1^3-3; of the Living-
stone, lOT-8.
Treachery, of Wenya, 154; at Bubonga,
291.
T8ets6,292,.310.
Tubanda district, 95.
Tuckey's Farthest, 148. 195, 305, 354,
355, 372, 432, 466; second cataract,
439; CaptT.,441.
Tugurambusa ridge, 262.
Typhoid fever, 170.
Ubangi district, 807, 309, 359.
nbemb6 district, 50, 57.
Ubi, or Eybiteri, Falls, 227.
Ubujw6 country, 69-70. 83.
Ubwari country, 4, 58, 60.
Ugalowa, or Lualaba river, 124.
Uganda country, 8, 81, 90, 112, 146,
383,414
Ugarowa river, 100, 101.
Ugoy district, 1, 2, 5, 19, 61.
Uguha district, 4, 10, 15, 52, 65, 68,
69, 147, 285, 368.
Uguru, 5.
Uhha district, 3, 5, 7, 12, 16, 23, 50.
Uhombo village and district, 73-5, 77,
80, 8r.
Uhyeya district, 70.
Ujiji, 1,3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8-10, 12, 14, 17,
19, 27, 55, 60-2, 65-7, 87, 107, 110,
112, 120, 123, 150, 4S2.
Ukassa, 165, 167 ; rapids, 223.
Uker6 river and district, 290, 302.
Ukaranga forest, 4-5, 20. 65.
Ukataraka viUace, 287, 293.
Ukioba Island, 259, 261.
Ukongeh market, 168.
Ukuna district, 172, 245.
Ukusu district, 101, 121, 176; canni-
bals of, 199 ; river, 252.
Ulambola Hills. 17, 20, 24.
Ulcers, 162, 170.
Uledi, coxswain, 17, 179, 180, 184, 186,
160-1, 163-6, 171, 198, 232-4, 249,
283, 344-9, 365, 366-7, 375, 379, 380,
382-3, 398-9, 401, 402-3, 410, 417,
424,423, 436, 444, 449, 454-6, 460-1,
482.
Umangi district, 290.
Umisepa village, 33.
Umvilingya, 345-6.
Ungufa rapids, 430.
Unya-Nsin^ town, 173, 175-d.
Unyamwezi, 3, 94, 414.
UnyanyemH 9, 90, 123, 277.
Unyoro, 18, 90. 150, 190, 245, 250.
Upoto ridge, 282, 284. 301. 859.
Urangi, series of villages, 175, 287-
290, 290-1, 297, 301, 302, 307,
359.
Ura^ja village, 175.
Ur«5ga, a forest land, 100, 106-7, 127,
m-3, 141, 146, 218, 239, 273, 331,
357, 360, 362, 423.
Urimba, camp at, 21, 22.
Urindi, 4, 5, 60, 100, 120; river, 173,
201, 206, 276.
Umndi district, 60.
Urunga village, 16, 6L
Usako Ngongo market, 167.
Usimbi village, 259, 26L
Usneffi moss, 203.
Usongora, 90, 245, 350; Ifeno, 100,
101. 127, 202, 246, 350.
Usukuma lake, 16.
Ussi Hills, 166.
Utikera, village, 246-7.
Utoteia, slaves, 129.
Uvinza district, 4, 7, 13, 14 18, 23, 71,
143— «« " Wavinza.**
Uvira district, 4, 83, 246.
Uvitera Island, 16&
Uyanzi, 320-1, 466.
Uzig6 district, 4.
Uzimba district, 115, 132, 135.
Uzongoro district, 444.
Uzura, 91, 92, 94, 96, 126.
Vegetables, 4. 72, 121, 167 ; yams, 2.
121, 358, 362 ; sweet potatoes, 2, 72.
121, 216,460— «ee ** Cassava;" toma-
toes,4; onions, 123, 368, 428.
Vegetation— ace " Botany," "Forests."
Verbmaceop., 28L
Victoria Nyanza, 18, 66, 86, 250, 302,
368,378,886,433,444
Victoria Nile— ««? " Nile."
Vina Eya village, 202.
Digitized
byG00gl(
INDEX.
565
Vinya Njara, 181, 188, 186, 193, 196,
198, m 360.
Violet-tree, 281.
Viper, 138.
VUex umbrosa, 281.
Volcanic phenomena, 70, 178.
Wabsmb£ cannibals, 59.
Wabujw6, 69, 70, 83.
Wabwari tribe, 58 ; or Wasongora Meno
tribe, 173.
Water-cane, 46-8.
Watuta, 33.
Wadi Rehani, 3, 93, 180, 212, 397, 420.
Wadi Safeni, 11, 86.
Wafipa tribe, 29.
Waganda tribe, 80, 464
Wagenya, or Wenya tribe, 116, 123,
Wagoma, or Wabembi (cannibals), 58.
Waguha tribe, 15, 52, 69, 147, 285.
Wahha tribe, d—see Uhha.
Wahyeya, 70.
Wajni, 1-8, 12, 15, 28, 58, 281— w
Wajiwa (people of the sun), 210, 216.
Wakombeh, or Wabembe, cannibals,
245.
Wakoiyn, people of Ukoiyu, 239.
Wakwanga dwarfis, 218.
Wana Rukura, 244-5, 246.
Wanekamankua, camp at, 136.
Wan6 Mbeza, camp at 136-7.
Wan^ Kirumbu, camp at, 139, 141,
189
Wan^Mpungn, 239, 241, 356.
Wangwana. 61-4, 66, 67, 94-5, 98, 150,
155-6, 179, 211, 272, 296, 369, 884,
400, 405, 410, 418, 426, 431, 433,
469, 475, 477— we " Expedition," 102,
110, 112, 113, 116, 124, 129, 137-8,
147, 173, 237, 442, 452, 456-7, 472.
Wanpemb^, camp at, 32, 67, 68.
Wanpmna territory, 206.
Wanya Ruanda, 3, 245.
Wanyamwezi tribe, B\i, 110, 114, 129,
138, 146, 173, 191-193, 197, 464.
War, triyial causes of, 389: costume,
199.
War-c*BS— "Ooh hu," 153, 157, 158,
" Bo bo, bo," 183, 200 ; "Ya Mariwa,"
262 ; " Ya Bangala," 300 ; *' Yaha-ha-
ha," 295 sgq.
Wars in Africa, 87.
Waregga cannibals, 106, 134-5, 147,
2187238, 241, 244-hw Uregga.
Wariwa canoes, 266, 273.
" Wasambye," 157, 162, 210.
Wasongora Meno cannibals, 106, 174,
426-H«cfl " Usongoro."
Wa-Swahili tribe, 84, 95.
Water birds —see " Geese " ; " Diver " ;
" Balaniceps "; " Ducks "; " Egrets ";
"Ibis"; "PeUcans"; "Storks";
" Cranes."
Water-cane, 139.
Watersheds, 77. 207, 276.
Water-snakes, 842, 414.
Watuta tribe, 3, 245.
Watwa dwarfs, 218.
Wavinza tribe, 135, 145-6, 212, 218
see *' Uvinza."
Wavira cannibal tribe, 58.
Wax, 387.
Weasel, 89; 134.
Weights and measures, &c. — ^frasileh,
rnbaba (currency), sofi, khele, ma-
WeU6 of Schweinfurth, 275-6; yalley,
276.
Wenya, 153; "villages of, 155; river,
156-7, 165, 248-^2; upper, 252-3 ;
cannibals, 356— m0 Wagenya.
Wezi, rocks of, 30.
Whirlpool narrows, 345.
« Whitebait," 4, 281, 389, 408, 430.
Whydahs, 312.
Wild date, 281.
Winds, 37, 39, 40, 45-^, 48, 186, 207,
281, 302-3,305,310, 325; on Tan-
ganika, 19, 28, 55-6.
Wmes-Zogga, 14, 72, 121,149; Ma-
lofu, 193, 216; maramba, 14— fi^e
also " Palm-wine."
Women— of Uhombo, 75-6 ; hidden by
tribes, 91; of Ur^ga, 146; racing,
193 ; Amina, 310; bargaining with,
215 ; captives, 236 ; of Ohumbiri, 319.
Woods— «« " Forests," " Botany."
Wood-apple, 69.
Wyyanzi, 322; of Ohumbiri, 356;
canoes, 367.
YA]f8,2,121,358,362.
Yangambi settlement, 263-4.
Yangi-yangi hills, 445.
Yaryembi river, 259.
Yavunga district, 266.
YeUala Falls, 305, 354, 855, 419, 482,
441.
Young's river— tee " Lumani."
Digitized
byG00gl(
566
INDEX.
Zaidi, 282^ 88% 482.
Zambezi riyer. 111, 824.
Zanzibar and Zanzibaris, 192, 198,
198; 8-10, 68, 66. 67, 84, 97, 98,
109, 111, 116, 126, 241, 812, 406, 437,
447-8, 461, 471, 474, 476, 480-8.
Zebra, 21.
Zinga Falls, 890; riyer, 891, 898;
chiefs, 896; Mowa, 858, 370, 897,
403, 405, 406-7; palms of, 408,
409-16,419-420,42^446.
Zogga rpalm-wine), 14, 72, 121, 149.
Zongwe cape, 42.
Zoology— weasel, 89, 184 ; broad-tailed
dieep, 4, 5 ; crocodiles, 18, 180, 205,
281, 286, 299, 804; zebra, 21; bnf-
fido, 25, 29, 68, 69, 157, 238, 293,
817, 826; lec^iards, 106, 184, 186,
202, 273, 282; gorilla. 76, 286;
monkey, 76, 134, 136, 138, 146, 168.
288, 273, 293^; asses, 33, 84, 168,
238, 273, 293-4; elephants, 116,
146, 202; "soko," 77, 106, 138,
143-6, 223, 244, 274; pigs, 121,
157, 356 ; cat, 26 : antelope, 29, 81,
106, 136, 238, 415, 326; dogs, 71,
218, 284, 416; goats, 77, 331; boars,
286; coney, 415; ciyet, 134, 146, 244,
273, 282 ; mongoose, 2, 134 ; squirrel,
244; baboons, 138, 293; lemur, 138,
223, 238, 293; otter, 238; hippo-
Eotamus, 202, 281, 294, 312-13;
on, 202 ; rhinoceros, 205— m0 " (^
nithology," "Entomology," "Ich-
thyology,* "Eeptiles,- ''MoUhscb.*
THE END.
Digitized
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Digitized
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Digitized
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